Piper PA-18-135 accident near Wooster, Arkansas, January 16, 1998
On January 16, 1998 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-18-135, registered N99302, was destroyed in an accident near Wooster, Arkansas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain clearance with trees during an aborted landing. A contributing factor was the pilot's delayed decision to abort the long landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 16, 1998 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Wooster, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-18-135 · all PA-18-135s on the register
- Registration
- N99302 · no longer on the register · serial 18-3338
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Two eye-witnesses, located within 200 meters of the takeoff point, reported that they observed the single-engine airplane land long on a grass pasture that was being utilized as a landing area. After a short landing roll, engine power was heard being applied for a 'go-around.' Soon after becoming airborne, the aircraft was observed to have attained a nose high attitude prior to impacting the tops of 70-foot high trees located north of the departure end of the landing area. The witnesses stated that the engine sounded normal. No evidence of pre-impact mechanical failure or malfunction was observed.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,072 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 16, 1998; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D2 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 11:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft; scat
- Temperature: 55°F (13°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.
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.