Piper PA-28-181 accident near Bartlesville, Oklahoma, March 3, 1985
On March 3, 1985 at about 1:30 am local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N7068C, was destroyed in an accident near Bartlesville, Oklahoma (Frank Phillips airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Bartlesville, Oklahoma · Frank Phillips · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N7068C · no longer on the register · serial 28-7690054
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER ONE UNEVENTFUL FULL-STOP LANDING THE PLT RE-ENTERED THE PATTERN FOR A SECOND LANDING. THE PLT TRUNED TO FINAL AT ABOUT 500 FT AGL AND 65-70 KTS WITH THE RWY LIGHTS IN SIGHT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, ACCORDING TO THE PLT, THE LANDING LIGHT ILLUMINATED TWO TREES. A RIGHT TURN WAS INITIATED BUT THE LEFT WING STRUCK ONE OF THE TREES 20 TO 30 FT AGL. THE ACFT DESCENDED OUT OF CONTROL TO THE GROUND APROX 1/4 NORTH OF THE ARPT. THE PLT STATED THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE FLT WAS TO ACCOMPLISH 3 TAKE-OFFS AND LANDINGS AT NIGHT IN ORDER TO SATISFY FAR CURRENCY REQUIREMENTS FOR CARRYING PAX. HE FURTHER RELATED THAT NIGHT INSTRUCTION FROM A CFI IN THE PAST YEAR COULD HAVE PREVENTED THE ACCIDENT.
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: 151 hours in all; 48 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,145 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 18, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BVO Bartlesville OK at 1:15 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 6,200 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 150° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.