Fairchild 24R-46A accident near Scribner, Nebraska, August 20, 1998
On August 20, 1998 at about 12:10 pm local time, a Fairchild 24R-46A, registered N28644, was substantially damaged in an accident near Scribner, Nebraska (Scribner State Airfield). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the inadvertent ground loop caused by an unknown person who was in the process of stealing the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 1998 · about 12:10 pm local time
- Place
- Scribner, Nebraska · Scribner State Airfield · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fairchild 24R-46A · all 24R-46As on the register
- Registration
- N28644 · registry record · serial W40-164
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was discovered at 0710 cdt, on the Scribner State Airfield, Scribner, Nebraska, by the owner, after the accident took place. The airplane's owner estimated that the total distance the airplane traveled was 40 yards. The owner stated that the unknown person operating the airplane 'probably lost control when [the] tailwheel left the runway. Excessive takeoff trim was set, [thus the] tail may have lifted off prematurely.' The pilot fled the accident site and was never identified. Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies.
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,417 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 27, 1997; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Ranger 6-440-C5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SCB
- Destination: Unknown
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 150° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from FET, 10 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.