Beech 58 accident near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, June 7, 1997
On June 7, 1997 at about 4:50 am local time, a Beech 58, registered N22SS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Wiley Post airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's impairment of judgment and performance due to alcohol which led to an attempted takeoff in an airplane without an elevator installed.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 7, 1997 · about 4:50 am local time
- Place
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · Wiley Post · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N22SS · no longer on the register · serial TH-198
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the takeoff roll the airplane overran the departure end of the runway. The aircraft traveled 600 to 800 feet impacting the localizer antenna, and continued approximately 100 feet impacting the airport perimeter fence. It continued across a ditch and road coming to rest 50 feet south of the road. Examination of the airplane revealed that the elevator was not installed. According to the owner, he was having the airplane refurbished, and the elevator had been removed for painting on June 1, 1997. According to blood samples taken at the hospital about one hour 12 minutes after the accident, the pilot had a blood alcohol concentration of 180 mg/dl. The pilot and passenger were not authorized by the owner to use the airplane. The pilot's commercial certificate was revoked seven years prior for stealing an airplane.
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; single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-C/-CB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PWA at 4:50 am
- Destination: Uknown
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17L, 7,198 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 110° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 am from PWA
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.
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.