Piper PA-28-181 accident near Tahlequah, Oklahoma, June 11, 1985
On June 11, 1985 at about 4:06 am local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N1601S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tahlequah, Oklahoma. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were 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
- June 11, 1985 · about 4:06 am local time
- Place
- Tahlequah, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N1601S · registry record · serial 28-7790057
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THE ACFT WAS IN FLT SLIGHTLY MORE THAN THREE HRS AFTER IT WAS REFUELED, BEFORE FUEL EXHAUSTION OCCURRED. THE ACFT REPORTEDLY WAS LEANED DURING THE FLT. POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF ANY FUEL SYSTEM LEAKS. REASON FOR THE FUEL EXHAUSTION IS UNDETERMINED AS THE ACFT HAS AN ENDURANCE OF APRX 4.8 HRS. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE IN A FLD, AT NIGHT, AND THE ACFT WAS INTENTIONALLY GROUND LOOPED TO AVOID A DIRT BANK.
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: 610 hours in all; 34 in this make and model; 39 in the last 90 days; 569 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,628 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MCI Kansas City MO at 1:45 am
- Destination: F08 Eufaula OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 pm from TUL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.