Sukhoi SU-31M accident near Collinsville, Oklahoma, September 14, 2008
On September 14, 2008 at about 11:44 pm local time, a Sukhoi SU-31M, registered N531MS, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Collinsville, Oklahoma (Sky Haven Airpark airport). It was a personal flight 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 pilot's failure to maintain clearance from marked transmission lines while on final approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 14, 2008 · about 11:44 pm local time
- Place
- Collinsville, Oklahoma · Sky Haven Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Sukhoi SU-31M · all SU-31Ms on the register
- Registration
- N531MS · no longer on the register · serial 02-01
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot entered the traffic pattern in the single seat, tail-wheel-equipped, experimental airplane for landing to runway 35. When he turned to final approach "everything looked normal." On short final, the pilot stated that he saw orange markers on wires just prior to contact with transmission lines. After cutting through two transmission lines, the pilot aborted the landing and performed a go-around. A visual inspection from another aircraft confirmed that the landing gear appeared to be intact. The pilot stated that the airplane was "shaking violently," but was controllable, and the pilot landed safely. The pilot shut down after landing and exited the aircraft normally. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector responded to the scene and confirmed substantial damage to the main wing spar, left aileron, and landing gear. One propeller blade was missing approximately 18 inches. The electrical transmission lines were replaced by the local power company.
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
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Knowledge › Knowledge of geographic area › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,391 hours in all; 127 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 1,343 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 8, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 261 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 20, 2008
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Vedeneyev M14P (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KGCM Claremore OK at 11:20 pm
- Destination: OK01 Vera OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 4,400 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from KTUL, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.