Stinson 108-3 accident near Lebanon, Oregon, March 25, 2010
On March 25, 2010 at about 1:00 am local time, a Stinson 108-3, registered N6063M, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Lebanon, Oregon (Lebanon State airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to release his brake application after adding power to regain directional control during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 25, 2010 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Lebanon, Oregon · Lebanon State · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Stinson 108-3 · all 108-3s on the register
- Registration
- N6063M · registry record · serial 108-4063
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tailwheel-equipped airplane completed a number of touch-and-go landings, and then made a full-stop landing so that he could taxi to the parking area to talk with some friends. When he took off again a few minutes later to do one final landing before putting the airplane away, he discovered that the wind speed had picked up and that he would be landing in a gusting crosswind. During the landing roll, which was along the leeward side of a row of hangars with occasional spaces between them, the airplane started turning toward the left side of the runway (into the wind). When the pilot found that full right brake and full right rudder was not enough to bring the airplane back to the right, he added a significant amount of engine power in an attempt to regain control. Although the airplane's ground track began to straighten after he added power, the pilot kept the right-wheel brake fully applied, resulting in the airplane attaining a nose-down attitude, whereupon the propeller began hitting the runway surface. With the propeller hitting the runway surface, the pilot found it necessary to reduce power, and therefore the airplane turned further left, and its left main wheel departed the left edge of the runway onto soft terrain. The left wheel then sank into the terrain, and with the right brake still fully applied, the airplane nosed over onto its back. The accident sequence resulted in substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer, left wing, and left wing lift strut.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 797 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 12 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: October 24, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S30 Lebanon OR
- Destination: S30 Lebanon OR
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 34, 2,877 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 8 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.