Beech H35 accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma, August 12, 1982
On August 12, 1982 at about 6:49 pm local time, a Beech H35, registered N4800Y, was destroyed in an accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma (Tulsa Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 1982 · about 6:49 pm local time
- Place
- Tulsa, Oklahoma · Tulsa Intl
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech H35 · all H35s on the register
- Registration
- N4800Y · no longer on the register · serial D4938
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AIRCRAFT LOST POWER DURING TAKEOFF. PILOT TRIED TO TURN BACK TO AIRPORT IN A LEFT BANK DESCRIBED AS 60 TO 90 DEGREES. AIRCRAFT STALLED AND CRASHED ABOUT 1300 FEET EAST OF TAKEOFF POINT. DURING THE INVESTIGATION THE FUEL PUMP WAS PLACED ON A FLOW BENCH & ON THE INITIAL TEST WOULD NOT PUMP FUEL. THE VAPOR SEPARATOR TOWER COVERPLATE WAS REMOVED & A FOREIGN OBJECT WAS OBSERVED IN THE ORIFICE OF THE VAPOR EJECTOR. THERE WERE PARTICLES OF A BLACK SUBSTANCE FLOATING IN THE SEPARATOR TOWER. WHEN THE FUEL WAS POURED ONTO A WHITE TOWEL THE PARTICLES DISCOLORED THE TOWEL AS GRAPHITE MIGHT DO. AFTER THE VAPOR TOWER & EJECTOR ORIFICE WERE CLEANED, THE PUMP OPERATED NORMALLY.
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: 499 hours in all; 190 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,742 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental O-470-N (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Westwings INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Tulsa OK at 1:47 pm
- Destination: Tulsa OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17R, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 018° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 199°F (93°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.