Piper PA-34-220T N8160K

Summary

On 3 March 1985 at about 21:50 local time, a Piper PA-34-220T registered N8160K was involved in an accident near Stigler, Oklahoma, United States. 4 people were on board and 4 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

3 March 1985 at 21:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Stigler, Oklahoma, United States

Coordinates

35.2506, -95.1197

Aircraft

Piper PA-34-220T

Registration

N8160K

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lubbock → Ft Smith

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW85FA131

4 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

THE PLT FILED A VFR FLT PLAN AFTER THE WX IMPROVED FROM IFR TO VFR WITH A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS EN ROUTE. OCNL MOD TURBULENCE BELOW 5000 FT WAS FORCAST DUE TO STRONG/GUSTY LOW LVL WNDS. WHILE THE ACFT WAS EN ROUTE, A GND WITNESS HEARD THE ENGS REV UP MORE THAN NORMAL, THEN HE SAW THE ACFT ON A NORTHERLY HEADING. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, HE HEARD A LOUD NOISE& SAW 2 OR MORE PIECES SEPARATE FROM THE ACFT. IT THEN ENTERED AN UNCONTROLLED DSCNT & CRASHED. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THE ACFT SUFFERED AN IN-FLT SEPARATION OF THE FIBERGLASS NOSE ASSEMBLY, THAT PORTIONS OF THE SEPARATED NOSE STRUCK THE STABILATOR & THAT A DAMAGED AREA ON THE RT STABILATOR ACTED AS A TRIM TAB & CAUSED A PITCH-UP OF SUFFICIENT MAGNITUDE TOCAUSE POSITIVE BENDING IN THE WINGS. THE LOADING ON THE STABILATORS CAUSED THEM TO FAIL IN NEG BENDING. THE ACFT THEN ENTERED A DESCENDING COUNTER-CLOCKWISE SPIN WHICH CONTINUED UNTIL GROUND IMPACT OCCURRED. PARTS OF THE ACFT & ITS CONTENTS SEPARATED & DESCENDED IN SCATTERED FRAGMENTS.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.