Hispano Aviacion HA-200 SAETA accident near Elk City, Oklahoma, October 5, 1996
On October 5, 1996 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Hispano Aviacion HA-200 SAETA, registered N3179K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Elk City, Oklahoma (Elk City Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of aircraft control due to a fuel imbalance as a result of a partial failure of the fuel jettison system. A factor was that fuel could not be transferred from the left wing tip fuel tank to the rear fuselage fuel tank.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 1996 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Elk City, Oklahoma · Elk City Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hispano Aviacion HA-200 SAETA HA-200 SAE · all HA-200 SAETAs on the register
- Registration
- N3179K · no longer on the register · serial 20-46
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise flight the airplane experienced a fuel feed problem from the left wing tip fuel tank to the rear fuselage fuel tank. The pilot made the decision to execute a precautionary landing at the Elk City Municipal Airport to correct the fuel imbalance problem. While on short final to runway 17, at approximately 100 feet AGL, the pilot attempted to jettison the fuel from both wing tip fuel tanks in order to maintain aircraft control. The jettison cap opened fully on the right wing tip tank and only opened partially on the left wing tip tank. The pilot applied full right aileron and rudder; however, the airplane's left wing tip 'hit' the grass to the left of the runway. During the landing roll, the airplane veered off the runway to the left, crossed a drainage ditch, and came to rest upright approximately 650 feet from the runway. Examination of the left wing tip fuel tank revealed that the dump cable release was binding, and initially pulling on the cable did not retract the one ball bearing found protruding from the cylinder wall. After pulling the cable about 10 times it freed up and began to retract the ball bearing.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,630 hours in all; 17 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 1,530 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 840 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, August 28, 1996; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,385 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Turbomeca MOUBORE IIA (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ICT Wichita KS at 7:00 pm
- Destination: CDS Childress TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,400 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW97LA007.