Piper PA-28R-201T accident near Okmulgee, Oklahoma, September 18, 1988
On September 18, 1988 at about 4:02 am local time, a Piper PA-28R-201T, registered N47806, was destroyed in an accident near Okmulgee, Oklahoma. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT'S INTENTIONAL FLIGHT INTO AN AREA OF ADVERSE WEATHER ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS, HEAVY PRECIPITATION, AND TURBULENCE. THE PILOT EXPERIENCED VERTIGO AND LOST CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT THEN SUSTAINED AN INFIGHT BREAKUP AT A HIGH ALTITUDE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 1988 · about 4:02 am local time
- Place
- Okmulgee, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-201T PA-28R-201 · all PA-28R-201Ts on the register
- Registration
- N47806 · no longer on the register · serial 28R-7803017
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PLT CONTD VFR FLT AT NIGHT INTO AN AREA THAT WX BRIEFERS & ATC CONTROLLERS HAD WARNED OF THUNDERSTORMS, HEAVY PRECIPATION & POSSIBLE TORNADO ACTIVITY. SUBSEQUENTLY, HE REQUESTED 'A LITTLE GUIDANCE' & SAID HE WAS HAVING TROUBLE 'HOLDING A POSITION' & WAS 'RUNNING ON A . . . MAGNETIC COMPASS.' SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT ENTERED A STEEP DESCENT, THEN RADIO & RADAR CONTACT WERE LOST. THE ACFT BROKE UP IN FLT AT AN UNKNOWN ALT & WRECKAGE WAS SCATTERED OVER A 3 MI AREA. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THE RGT WING HAD FAILED UNDER POSITIVE LOADS (UPWARD) &THE THE LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER SPAR WAS BENT DOWNWARD. THE RGT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER SEPARATED & WAS NOT FOUND.
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: 2,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,447 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 5, 1988; 87 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-F (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Richard Smith Enterprises
The flight
- Departed from: JAN Jackson MI at 1:00 am
- Destination: PWA Oklahoma City OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 180° at 11 knots
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from TUL, 40 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.
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.