Piper PA-28-235 accident near Liberal, Kansas, June 27, 1998
On June 27, 1998 at about 2:59 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-235, registered N8903W, was destroyed in an accident near Liberal, Kansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the inadvertent stall, the pilot's inadequate preflight planning, which led to performing a takeoff with insufficient distance to clear the utility pole. A factor which contributed to this accident was the utility pole.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 27, 1998 · about 2:59 pm local time
- Place
- Liberal, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-235 · all PA-28-235s on the register
- Registration
- N8903W · no longer on the register · serial 28-10469
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness watched the airplane as it was making its takeoff run from a dirt road. The airplane's tail seemed to strike the crest of a hill, but the airplane did not takeoff. Further down the road, the witness saw the airplane get airborne and begin a turn to the left. The airplane then descended rapidly and hit the ground left wing first. The witness said that the airplane seemed to be rolling and going inverted before it struck the ground. About three seconds after the airplane hit the ground, it burst into flames. The airplane came to rest 25 feet south of a severed power pole, which was approximately 1/2 mile from where the airplane began its takeoff run. Examination of wreckage revealed no anomalies. According to the Piper PA-28 Cherokee 235 'B' Pilot Operating Handbook Takeoff Distance versus Density Altitude Chart, the takeoff distance needed to clear a 50 foot obstacle, for a 2,900 pound gross weight airplane with a density altitude of 6,364 feet msl, is approximately 2,550 feet.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-B4 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:54 pm from GCK, 39 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.