Piper PA-28-161 accident near Marietta, Oklahoma, April 5, 1998
On April 5, 1998 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N8124H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Marietta, Oklahoma (Mcgehee Restaurant 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during landing. A factor was the pilot's lack of total experience in the make and model of aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 5, 1998 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Marietta, Oklahoma · Mcgehee Restaurant · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N8124H · no longer on the register · serial 28-8216118
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot configured the airplane for a soft field landing (full flaps, airspeed 55 knots) on runway 17. The airplane touched down to the left of the runway centerline. During the landing roll, the airplane veered to the left, the left main wheel encountered soft mud and the wing struck a tree. The pilot reported the winds were from 150 degrees at 10 knots. Total flight time for the pilot was 112.8 hours of which 11.7 hours was in the accident airplane make and model.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 113 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 66 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,884 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 5, 1998; 82 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Texas Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: TKI Mckinney TX at 7:30 pm
- Destination: T40
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 2,450 ft by 55 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Observation at 6:54 pm from ADM
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.