Pilatus PC-12/45 accident near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, January 3, 2008
On January 3, 2008 at about 8:25 am local time, a Pilatus PC-12/45, registered N398J, was involved in an accident during standing (engine(s) operating) near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Wiley Post airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 8 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The line technician's failure to remain clear of the propeller. A factor was the night lighting conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 3, 2008 · about 8:25 am local time
- Place
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · Wiley Post · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 8 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pilatus PC-12/45 · all PC-12/45s on the register
- Registration
- N398J · registry record · serial 398
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After an uneventful landing at night, the commercial rated pilot taxied the single-engine turbo propeller equipped airplane to a FBO based at the airport. Upon reaching the FBO's dimly lit ramp, a line technician, who was employed by the FBO, used lighted wands to marshal the airplane to a parking spot. When the airplane came to a complete stop, the pilot set the parking brake. As the pilot was initiating the engine shut down procedures, he heard a loud "thud" and felt the engine, propeller, and airplane begin to vibrate. He looked up and saw the line technician rolling on the ramp toward the airplane's left wing tip. Upon exiting the airplane, the pilot and one of the passengers, who was a physician, noted that the line technician was critically wounded and immediately initiated first aid. It was also noted that a set of wheel chocks and the severed sections of the two lighted wands were near the propeller at the front of the airplane. The line technician had received a written warning from his employer approximately three months before the accident for attempting to chock the nose wheel of another airplane while the engines were operating.
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
- AC/prop/rotor contact w person during standing (engine(s) operating) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Not specified
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Ground crew
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,571 hours in all; 475 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: February 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,871 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 9,920 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PHX Phoenix CA at 4:00 am
- Destination: PWA Oklahoma City OK
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 170° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.64 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 am from PWA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 7 |
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.
