Stinson 108 accident near White Post, Virginia, July 31, 2003
On July 31, 2003 at about 8:05 pm local time, a Stinson 108, registered N97168, was substantially damaged in an accident near White Post, Virginia (White Post 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/ mechanic's improper annual inspection including his rigging of the elevator flight control, and his subsequent inadequate preflight inspection of the airplane prior to flight, when he failed to detect the improperly rigged elevator flight control, both of which resulted in restricted up elevator control during the flare.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 2003 · about 8:05 pm local time
- Place
- White Post, Virginia · White Post Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Stinson 108 · all 108s on the register
- Registration
- N97168 · no longer on the register · serial 168
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The owner/mechanic overhauled the engine and gave the airplane an annual inspection. He took off on the first flight after the maintenance and when the airplane was on final approach, as he added the last notch of flaps, heard a sound which he described as a "ping." When he retarded the throttle shortly there after, he was unable to arrest its descent, and the airplane dove to the ground and nosed over. An FAA inspector reported that when he exercised the up elevator movement was intermittently restricted by a radio rack. The radio rack was tight in place and there was no evidence that it had shifted or was loose. Further, the up elevator movement was half of that specified for the airplane, and the down elevator movement was 150 percent of that specified.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,600 hours in all; 850 in this make and model
- Last flight review: April 21, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,080 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 20, 2002; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,250 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Franklin 6A4-150 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3VA7 White Post VA at 8:00 pm
- Destination: 3VA7
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 2,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 2,400 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 8:00 pm from OKV, 5 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.
Other NTSB records under N97168 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.