Amateur-built B-8MJ accident near Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, June 15, 1998
On June 15, 1998 at about 1:06 am local time, a amateur-built B-8MJ (gyroplane), registered N4874X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pauls Valley, Oklahoma (Pauls Valley Municipal airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The non-certificated pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the hangar. A factor was the pilot's maneuvering at a low altitude.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 15, 1998 · about 1:06 am local time
- Place
- Pauls Valley, Oklahoma · Pauls Valley Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built B-8MJ
- Registration
- N4874X · no longer on the register · serial 431-78234
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses observed the pilot flying the gyroplane around the airport at a 'low altitude' for about 30-35 minutes, and then land. The pilot made adjustments to the rotor head trim and then took off again. The witnesses reported that the pilot 'did a lot of very low flying between hangars, [and] never got over 15-20 feet high.' A witness reported that the pilot made another low pass over them close to the north end of a hangar. The pilot then flew down the NW runway and to the west out of their view. When the aircraft returned from the west, it was about 10 to 12 feet agl. As the aircraft came around the hangar, a rotor blade struck the hangar door support, separating the rotor blade from the aircraft. The gyroplane came to rest inverted. The pilot was wearing a helmet; however, the strap did not have a buckle.
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: F61
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.