Piper PA-22-135 accident near Pawnee, Oklahoma, May 8, 1988
On May 8, 1988 at about 8:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-135, registered N1424C, was destroyed in an accident near Pawnee, Oklahoma (Pawnee Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AIRCRAFT'S FLIGHT ENVELOPE WAS EXCEEDED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 8, 1988 · about 8:35 pm local time
- Place
- Pawnee, Oklahoma · Pawnee Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-135 · all PA-22-135s on the register
- Registration
- N1424C · registry record · serial 5558-21
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE UNLICENSED PILOT AND TWO PASSENGERS WERE INJURED WHEN THEIR AIRPLANE FAILED TO CLIMB AFTER DEPARTING FROM A TURF RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE COLLIDED WITH TREES AND IMPACTED THE TERRAIN RESULTING IN THE DESTRUCTION OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS APPROXIMATELY 300 POUNDS OVER MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT AND THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO TAKE OFF WITH A LEFT CROSS WIND THAT WAS GUSTING UP TO 26 MPH.
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
- Flight time: 700 hours in all; 300 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,464 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 2, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: H97 Pawnee OK at 8:30 pm
- Destination: NONE Hunter OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 19 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:47 pm from TUL, 45 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.