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).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 1999 · about 7:45 pm local time · cases in 1999
- 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 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N68591 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N68591 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Stinson L-5 125 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Stinson 1,728 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-435 88 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Hutchinson Regional · departed from
- Midland International Air And Space Port · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Oklahoma 1,300 since 1982 · 181 in the last ten years
- Oklahoma 5,659 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N68591 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW99LA271.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.