Stinson L-5 accident near Woodward, Oklahoma, September 29, 1999
On September 29, 1999 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Stinson L-5, registered N68591, was substantially damaged in an accident near Woodward, Oklahoma. 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The in-flight separation of the tip of a wood propeller blade. Contributing factors were the soft terrain and ditch encountered during the precautionary landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 1999 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Woodward, Oklahoma · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Stinson L-5 · all L-5s on the register
- Registration
- N68591 · registry record · serial 42-98667
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During cruise flight, the airplane developed an 'extreme' vibration. During the ensuing precautionary landing to a dirt road, the aircraft encountered soft dirt and veered to the right, impacting a ditch. Examination of the airplane by the FAA inspector revealed that one of the blades of the wooden propeller was missing its metal tip.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,027 hours in all; 132 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 945 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,190 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 15, 1999; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,250 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-435 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HUT Hutchinson KS at 6:05 pm
- Destination: MAF Midland TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N68591 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW99LA271.