- Date
- March 3, 1985, 15:50 local (21:50 UTC)
- Place
- Stigler, OK
- Injuries
- 4 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8160KPiper PA-34-220T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850303004989A
- Case key
- 21531
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt filed a VFR flt plan after the wx improved from IFR to VFR with a chance of thunderstorms en route. Ocnl mod turbulence below 5000 ft was forcast due to strong/gusty low lvl wnds. While the acft was en route, a gnd witness heard the engs rev up more than normal, then he saw the acft on a northerly heading. Shortly thereafter, he heard a loud noise& saw 2 or more pieces separate from the acft. It then entered an uncontrolled dscnt & crashed. There was evidence that the acft suffered an in-flt separation of the fiberglass nose assembly, that portions of the separated nose struck the stabilator & that a damaged area on the rt stabilator acted as a trim tab & caused a pitch-up of sufficient magnitude tocause positive bending in the wings. The loading on the stabilators caused them to fail in neg bending. The acft then entered a descending counter-clockwise spin which continued until ground impact occurred. Parts of the acft & its contents separated & descended in scattered fragments.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8160K
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-220T (PA-34-22OT)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-8333030
- Engine
- Continental L/TSIO-360-KB, 220 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Larry L. Flocks
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 22, 1985
- Departed
- LBB · Lubbock, TX
- Destination
- FSM · Ft Smith, AR
- Flight plan
- VFR
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 238 total · 64 in this make and model · 170 as pilot in command · 13 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 12 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Observed at
- MLC, 50 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.