Piper PA-31 incident near Kingston, Oklahoma, June 10, 1986
On June 10, 1986 at about 9:25 pm local time, a Piper PA-31, registered N68ST, suffered minor damage in an incident near Kingston, Oklahoma (Lake Texoma Park airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 incident. 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 10, 1986 · about 9:25 pm local time
- Place
- Kingston, Oklahoma · Lake Texoma Park · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31 · all PA-31s on the register
- Registration
- N68ST · registry record · serial 31-729
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE AS A RESULT OF AN ELECTRICAL FIRE IN-FLIGHT WHILE IN CRUISE AT 9,000' MSL. THE PLT STATED THAT HE OBSERVED SMOKE EMANATING FROM THE C.B. PANEL MOUNTED ON THE LEFT SIDE WALL OF THE COCKPIT AND THAT SEVERAL C.B.'S POPPED AND HE LOST THE MAJORITY OF THE ELEC SYS. HE ELECTED TO EXECUTE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING AT A NEARBY ARPT. FIRE AND HEAT DAMAGE WAS LIMITED TO THE LEFT SIDE ELEC PANEL, PRIMARILY ON THE UPPER C.B. PANEL. TWO SUSPECT AREAS WERE IDENTIFIED AS POSSIBLE POINTS OF ORIGIN FOR THE FIRE. ONE WAS A BURNED UP RESISTOR ON THE TRIM COWL FLAP INDICATORS WHICH HAD A DISCONNECTED WIRE TO A DIODE. THE OTHER WAS A BUS BAR LINK THAT WAS INSTALLED BACKWARDS AND HAD COME INTO CONTACT WITH A FUSELAGE BULKHEAD AND SHORTED OUT. A CONCLUSIVE DETERMINATION AS TO WHICH CAUSED THE INCIDENT FIRE COULD NOT BE MADE.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 200 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,168 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 8, 1986; 76 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-A2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Martinaire, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: OKC Oklahoma City OK at 9:00 pm
- Destination: DAL Dallas TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 3,420 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,800 ft; clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 81°F (27°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from ADM
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.