Convair 640 (340D) accident near Bartlesville, Oklahoma, October 28, 1987
On October 28, 1987 at about 1:34 pm local time, a Convair 640 (340D), registered N3411, was destroyed in an accident near Bartlesville, Oklahoma (Frank Phillips airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 2 people had minor injuries. 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 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
- October 28, 1987 · about 1:34 pm local time
- Place
- Bartlesville, Oklahoma · Frank Phillips · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Convair 640 (340D)
- Registration
- N3411 · no longer on the register · serial 31
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CAPT WAS CROSS-FEEDING BOTH ENGINES FROM THE RIGHT TANK WHILE THE FIRST OFFICER (F/O) WAS FLYING, WITHOUT INFORMING THE F/O. THE CAPT THEN LEFT THE COCKPIT WHILE CROSS-FEEDING. BOTH TANK VALVES AND THE RIGHT BOOST PUMP WERE ON. THE RIGHT TANK RAN DRY, THE RIGHT ENGINE FAILED, AND THE PROP AUTOFEATHERED WHILE THE CAPT WAS ABSENT. THE CAPT RETURNED, TURNED ON THE LEFT BOOST PUMP, BUT LEFT THE RIGHT BOOST PUMP AND THE VALVES OPEN, AND ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE RIGHT ENGINE. THE LEFT ENGINE THEN FAILED BUT THIS WAS NOT RECOGNIZED BY THE CREW. THE ELEC SYS FAILED DUE TO THE ATTEMPTED RESTARTS AND THE FACT THAT NON-ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT WAS NOT TURNED OFF. THE CAPT DID NOT APPLY SUFFICIENT PULL TO THE EMERGENCY GEAR HANDLE TO LOWER THE GEAR MANUALLY. THE ACFT WAS LANDED ON A SHORT WET SOD RUNWAY, WITH THE GEAR AND FLAPS UP, AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. THE ACFT RAN OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY, THROUGH A DITCH, ACROSS A ROAD, AND INTO TREES.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,389 hours in all; 2,480 in this make and model; 199 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 44,764 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, April 13, 1987; 394 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 54,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RDA10-542 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Smb Stage Line, INC
The flight
- Departed from: ORD Chicago IL at 11:07 am
- Destination: OKC Oklahoma City OK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 7, 2,550 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.