Amateur-built DR 107 accident near Fletcher, Oklahoma, October 28, 2004
On October 28, 2004 at about 10:20 pm local time, a amateur-built DR 107, registered N255HR, was destroyed in an accident near Fletcher, Oklahoma. 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 pilot's inadequate planning/decision to conduct an aerobatic maneuver without sufficient altitude to recover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 28, 2004 · about 10:20 pm local time
- Place
- Fletcher, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DR 107
- Registration
- N255HR · no longer on the register · serial 94-0255
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 1,438-hour private pilot lost control of the homebuilt airplane while performing aerobatics. The airplane was observed by a witness entering a spin and continued spinning down until it was in close proximity with the ground. The airplane then stopped spinning and the nose started to rise before impacting the terrain at a steep angle. The airplane then bounced, rolled inverted, and again impacted the terrain before bursting into flames. The airplane came to rest inverted in a grass field and was destroyed by post-impact fire. Control continuity was established to all flight controls and no mechanical malfunctions were found.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,438 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Fletcher OK at 10:05 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; a few clouds at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from FSI, 14 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.