- Date
- May 4, 1986, 15:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Anadarko, OK
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N43775North American SNJ-5
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 21901
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 pilot radioed that he had smoke in the cockpit. He immediately made an emergency landng, down wind, in a farmer's field. Witnesses saw the aircraft's right wing drop before the plane touched down. The resulting impact tore the wings and engine off, killing the pilot, but the passenger survived. An investigation revealed that a field wire in the generator had shorted. This allowed unregulated voltage through parts of the wiring harness and cause the insulation to overheat and smolder.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N43775
- Reported as
- North American SNJ-5
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 43775
- Engine
- P&W R-1340-AN1, 550 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- James C. Harris
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 3, 1985
- Departed
- LAW · Lawton, OK
- Destination
- PWA · Oklahoma City, OK
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
- 53
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 65,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LAW, 24 nm away