N6183M

On June 29, 2004, at 1412 central daylight time, a Stinson 108-3 single-engine airplane, N6183M, was substantially damaged after a forced landing following a loss of engine power when it impacted the ground shortly after takeoff from runway 17 at the Harvey Young Airport (1H6), near Tulsa, Oklahoma. The commercial pilot was seriously injured, and the two passengers sustained minor injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.

In a written statement, the pilot reported that shortly after the airplane lifted off the runway, the engine started losing power and then completely stopped. He made a 45 degree turn to the right to avoid a church and collided with the ground about 300 feet from the departure end of the runway.

A passenger, who was a commercial pilot, sat in the right front seat next to the pilot. During the take-off roll, as the pilot began to rotate, she noticed him pointing to the airspeed indicator, which indicated 60 to 65 (she wasn't sure if it was knots or miles per hour). The airplane became airborne, but stayed in "ground effect" for a while until it began to drift right of the runway. Then the right wing dropped and the airplane struck the ground approximately 2,000 feet down and 225 to the right of runway 17 (a 2,580 foot long and 40 foot wide asphalt runway at a field elevation of 750 feet mean sea level (msl). The passenger said that she did not recall any decrease in engine power and that the sound of the engine remained constant until impact.

Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who responded to the accident site, revealed that the right wing spar was bent and wrinkled, the left wing was wrinkled, and the engine completely separated from its mounts.

The pilot reported a total of 25,000 flight hours; 12,000 in single-engine aircraft, of which, 500 hours were in make and model.

Weather conditions at the time of accident were wind from 100 degrees at 4 knots, broken clouds at 3,400 feet above ground level (agl), overcast clouds at 6,500 feet agl, temperature 82 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure setting of 30.08 inches of Mercury. The density altitude was calculated at 2,321 feet msl.