Piper PA-28-180 accident near Bristow, Oklahoma, March 17, 1984
On March 17, 1984 at about 9:58 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N7386W, was destroyed in an accident near Bristow, Oklahoma (Jones Memorial airport). It was a personal flight 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
- March 17, 1984 · about 9:58 pm local time
- Place
- Bristow, Oklahoma · Jones Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N7386W · no longer on the register · serial 28-1270
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
JUST PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO MAKE A LOW PASS DOWN RWY 35 IN SLOW FLT. THE ACFT THEN ENTERED A STEEP CLIMB AT THE END OF THE RWY TO AN ALT OF 200 TO 300 FT AGL. IT THEN TURNED LEFT ONTO A CROSSWIND LEG OF THE PATTERN, THE LEFT WING DROPPED INTO A STEEP BANK & THE NOSE DROPPED. THE ACFT IMPACTED IN A WHEAT FIELD IN A WINGS LEVEL, SLIGHTLY NOSE-DOWN ATTITUDE WITH A HIGH SINK RATE. AFTER PRINCIPAL IMPACT, THE ACFT SLID 66 FT. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS EVEDENT. AT TULSA, THE 1552 CST WIND WAS FROM 070 DEG AT 7 KTS.
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
- Flight time: 513 hours in all; 288 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 496 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,060 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 18, 1983; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 3,375 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:52 pm from TUL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.