Stinson 108-2 accident near Booker, Texas, October 15, 1984
On October 15, 1984, a Stinson 108-2, registered N9737K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Booker, Texas (Mithell Field). 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 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
- October 15, 1984
- Place
- Booker, Texas · Mithell Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Stinson 108-2 · all 108-2s on the register
- Registration
- N9737K · no longer on the register · serial 108-2
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT ARRIVED AT DESTINATION AT DUSK. LIGHTED WIND TETRAHEDRON WAS OUT OF SERVICE. PLT EXECUTED LOW PASS IN UNSUCCESFUL ATTEMPT TO SEE WINDSOCK. PLT WAS AWARE OF STRONG SURFACE WINDS (ABOUT 35 KTS), PRESUMED TO BE FROM SW, FROM RECENT FRONTAL PASSAGE AND SELECTED THAT LANDING DIRECTION. ACFT LANDED LONG, PLT REALIZED A STRONG TAILWIND EXISTED BUT FELT TAILWHEEL ACFT WOULD NOT MAKE A SUCCESSFUL GO-AROUND. ACFT OVERRAN PREPARED SURFACE, PLT STEERED INTO TALL GRASS TO ASSIST DECELERATION. COMBINATION OF VEGETATION RESISTANCE AND TAILWIND GUST CAUSED ACFT TO NOSE OVER.
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: 288 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 288 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,831 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 9, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin GA4-165-B3 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Plainview TX
- Destination: Booker TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 3,900 ft by 30 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 350° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from GAG, 38 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.