Piper PA-32RT-300T accident near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, February 10, 1988
On February 10, 1988 at about 6:43 pm local time, a Piper PA-32RT-300T, registered N2186K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Wiley Post airport). 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 instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- February 10, 1988 · about 6:43 pm local time
- Place
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · Wiley Post · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32RT-300T PA-32RT-30 · all PA-32RT-300Ts on the register
- Registration
- N2186K · no longer on the register · serial 32R7987087
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS EQUIPPED FOR IFR BUT NOT EQUIPPED TO FLY INTO ICING COND. AT 4000 FEET MSL, THE OAT WAS ABOVE FREEZING. AT 3000 FEET MSL THE AIRPLANE WAS IN CLOUDS WITH OAT OF 32 DEGREES F. THE PLT ELECTED TO ATTEMPT DOWNWIND ILS APPROACH AND LANDING. PLT WAS VISUAL AT 450 FEET AGL AND ENCOUNTERED STRONG DOWN DRAFTS WITH LARGE AIRSPEED FLUCTUATIONS. PLT STATED HE FELT HE HAD THE RUNWAY MADE AND DID NOT CONSIDER A GO-AROUND. WHEN CLOSE TO RUNWAY AIRPLANE BALLOONED AND APPROACHED A STALL. AFTER PLT PUSHED NOSE DOWN, THE NOSE WHEEL HIT THE GROUND AND COLLAPSED. DESPITE THE HARD IMPACT, SOME AIRFRAME ICE, AT LEAST 1/2 INCH THICK FROM BACK TO FRONT AND ONE INCH ACROSS, WAS FOUND ON THE LEADING EDGES OF THE WINGS AND EMPENNAGE.
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, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,720 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 3,569 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,646 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 5, 1988
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-SL (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MEM Memphis TN at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17L, 7,198 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 18 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:48 pm from PWA
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.