Boeing PT-17 Stearman accident near Tuckasegee, North Carolina, August 17, 2003
On August 17, 2003 at about 6:48 pm local time, a Boeing PT-17 Stearman, registered N38998, was destroyed in an accident near Tuckasegee, North Carolina. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain visual lookout which resulted in an in-flight collision with trees. A factor was drug impairment.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 17, 2003 · about 6:48 pm local time
- Place
- Tuckasegee, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing PT-17 Stearman · all PT-17 Stearmans on the register
- Registration
- N38998 · no longer on the register · serial 75-813
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A local resident who witnessed the accident, stated that he saw the bi-plane flying extremely low as if it was trying to land, and then, as it went over a ridge, he heard what he described as a crash and then an explosion. Tree branches along the crash debris line exhibited 45-degree propeller strike marks and there were no mechanical problems reported by the pilot or discovered during the post-accident examination of the airplane. Amphetamine was detected in toxicological specimens from the pilot at elevated levels consistent with abuse of the substance. Marijuana was detected in toxicological specimens from the pilot at levels consistent with use within the previous 24 hours.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,361 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 24, 2003; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,950 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental W670-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 1A5 Franklin NC at 9:00 pm
- Destination: 1A5
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 10:41 pm from RHP, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.