NTSB FTW82FPJ12 — 1982-01-19 · STILLWATER, Oklahoma, United States

N4438D has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (PIPER PA-28R-201, built 2015), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

N4438D Beech G35 Fatal

Factual narrative

THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED ON A DARK NIGHT WITH NO RECORD OF A FLIGHT PLAN FILED OR A WEATHER BRIEFING RECEIVED. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT CLIMB OUT OF SIGHT INTO A FOG LAYER WHEN 2/3 DOWN THE RUNWAY THEN REAPPEAR AND CONTINUE TO FLY AT TREE TOP LEVEL MAINTAINING RUNWAY HEADING. A WITNESS THEN SAW THE AIRCRAFT MAKE A RIGHT TURN AT LOW ALTITUDE BEFORE LOSING SIGHT OF IT JUST PRIOR TO HEARING AN EXPLOSION. THE PILOT HAD A PRIVATE PILOT'S CERTIFICATE BUT WAS NOT INSTRUMENT QUALIFIED. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1982_FTW82FPJ12.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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