Stinson 108-1 accident near Tahlequah, Oklahoma, September 12, 1998
On September 12, 1998 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Stinson 108-1, registered N8548K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tahlequah, Oklahoma (Tahlequah airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 of the aircraft during takeoff. A factor was the gusty wind conditions at the time of the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 12, 1998 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Tahlequah, Oklahoma · Tahlequah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Stinson 108-1 · all 108-1s on the register
- Registration
- N8548K · registry record · serial 1548
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot lost control of the airplane during takeoff from runway 17 when a gust of wind pitched the airplane to a 25-30 degrees nose up attitude and rolled the airplane right. The pilot lowered the nose of the aircraft; however, the airplane drifted to the right side of the runway where it impacted the ground with the right wing and subsequently came to rest inverted. The nearest weather observation facility is located at Davis Field near Muskogee, Oklahoma, which is 23 nautical miles southwest of Tahlequah Municipal Airport. At 0953 the facility recorded the winds at 110 degrees at 14 knots, gusting to 23 knots. A witness stated that he saw 'dust devils' in the vicinity of the airport at the time of the accident.
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
- Flight time: 1,211 hours in all; 70 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,916 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 9, 1998; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,230 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6A4150 B-3 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: H73 at 4:00 pm
- Destination: F81 Okemah OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 14 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,200 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from MKO, 23 miles away
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.