Amateur-built STOLP SA-300 accident near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, September 17, 1988
On September 17, 1988 at about 4:27 pm local time, a amateur-built STOLP SA-300, registered N57DH, was destroyed in an accident near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Sundance airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
TOTAL FAILURE OF THE RUDDER CONTROL DUE TO FAILURE OF THE METAL WELDS ON THE CABLE ATTACHMENT TO THE RUDDER PEDAL, DUE TO IMPROPER WELDING BY THE MANUFACTURER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 17, 1988 · about 4:27 pm local time
- Place
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · Sundance · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built STOLP SA-300 STOLP SA-3
- Registration
- N57DH · registry record · serial 826
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES RPRTD THE PLT WAS DOING AEROBATICS NEAR THE ARPT. THEY OBSERVED TWO SNAP ROLLS, THEN SAW THE ACFT ENTER A SPIN TO THE RIGHT. THE WITNESSES SAID THE ACFT WAS MANEUVERING AT AN ESTIMATED 1,500 TO 1,900 FEET AGL, THEN IT SPUN, UNCORRECTED TO GROUND IMPACT. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT IN THE REAR COCKPIT, THE RUDDER CABLE ATTACHMENT ON THE LEFT RUDDER PEDAL HAD FAILED. A METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION REVEALED THE FRACTURE WAS TYPICAL OF OVERSTRESS, BUT THE WELDED AREA HAD VOIDS & THERE WAS A LACK OF FUSION & PENETRATION IN THE WELDED AREA.
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: 708 hours in all; 658 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 15, 1988
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HSD5
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 5,000 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from PWA, 3 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.
Other NTSB records under N57DH the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.