Piper PA-34-220T accident near Stigler, Oklahoma, March 3, 1985
On March 3, 1985 at about 9:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-34-220T, registered N8160K, was destroyed in an accident near Stigler, Oklahoma. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 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 3, 1985 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Stigler, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-220T PA-34-22OT · all PA-34-220Ts on the register
- Registration
- N8160K · no longer on the register · serial 34-8333030
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT FILED A VFR FLT PLAN AFTER THE WX IMPROVED FROM IFR TO VFR WITH A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS EN ROUTE. OCNL MOD TURBULENCE BELOW 5000 FT WAS FORCAST DUE TO STRONG/GUSTY LOW LVL WNDS. WHILE THE ACFT WAS EN ROUTE, A GND WITNESS HEARD THE ENGS REV UP MORE THAN NORMAL, THEN HE SAW THE ACFT ON A NORTHERLY HEADING. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, HE HEARD A LOUD NOISE& SAW 2 OR MORE PIECES SEPARATE FROM THE ACFT. IT THEN ENTERED AN UNCONTROLLED DSCNT & CRASHED. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THE ACFT SUFFERED AN IN-FLT SEPARATION OF THE FIBERGLASS NOSE ASSEMBLY, THAT PORTIONS OF THE SEPARATED NOSE STRUCK THE STABILATOR & THAT A DAMAGED AREA ON THE RT STABILATOR ACTED AS A TRIM TAB & CAUSED A PITCH-UP OF SUFFICIENT MAGNITUDE TOCAUSE POSITIVE BENDING IN THE WINGS. THE LOADING ON THE STABILATORS CAUSED THEM TO FAIL IN NEG BENDING. THE ACFT THEN ENTERED A DESCENDING COUNTER-CLOCKWISE SPIN WHICH CONTINUED UNTIL GROUND IMPACT OCCURRED. PARTS OF THE ACFT & ITS CONTENTS SEPARATED & DESCENDED IN SCATTERED FRAGMENTS.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 238 hours in all; 64 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 170 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 22, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 4,773 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental L/TSIO-360-KB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LBB Lubbock TX at 7:52 pm
- Destination: FSM Ft Smith AR
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 12 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft; not recorded at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Observation at 9:50 pm from MLC, 50 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.