OA-1K Goes Off Runway at Oklahoma Airport; Crew Safe

An OA-1K Skyraider II belonging to Air Force Special Operations Command went off the runway while landing at a small Oklahoma City airport Oct. 5 and is waiting to be moved, according to officials and flight tracking data.

Local media outlets first reported on the incident, which occurred at Sundance Airport about 20 miles from Will Rogers Air National Guard Base where the plane took off.

The two crew members on board are safe, a spokesperson for the 492nd Special Operations Wing confirmed to Air & Space Forces Magazine.

The incident occurred during a training sortie just a few days after the 492nd announced on social media that the OA-1K’s formal training unit had started training its first class of new pilots. The wing spokesperson declined to say whether one of the new student pilots was on board during the incident.

The OA-1K is a “combat scout” adapted from a cropduster that Air Force special operators plan to use for light attack and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions in less contested airspace, particularly for counterinsurgency operations. The first airframe arrived at Will Rogers in June 2025, and test and instructor pilots have spent the past year preparing the “schoolhouse” to train special ops aviators.

According to flight tracking data, the OA-1K involved in the incident took off from Will Rogers in the mid-afternoon of Oct. 5 and flew patterns for several hours before coming in to land at Sundance Airport. About midway down the runway, the aircraft veered to its left and came to rest in the grass.

“The 492nd Special Operations Wing is tracking an incident involving one of its OA-1K Skyraider II aircraft at Sundance Airport, Oklahoma City,” the wing spokesperson said. “Both crew members are safe and the cause of the incident is under investigation. Further details will follow as the investigation develops.”

Citing the Oklahoma City Fire Department, local TV station News 9 reported that the aircraft “nose-dived” as it was landing and its propeller was damaged. Another TV station, KOCO News 5, released video of the aircraft after the incident, appearing to show its propeller blades bent and skid marks in the grass behind it.

The 492nd spokesperson said that, as of the morning of Oct. 6, the aircraft remains at Sundance Airport.

“Our team is currently working courses of action to remove the aircraft off the airfield. Safety-trained personnel are on scene documenting and collecting all evidence while developing a plan to remove the aircraft as soon as safety-investigative procedures allow,” the spokesperson said.

While the OA-1K formal training unit just started its first class of new pilots, this is the second safety incident involving the Skyraider II since it arrived in Oklahoma. In October 2025, an experienced special ops aviator making the transition to the OA-1K inadvertently shut off the plane’s fuel in the middle of a training sortie, leading to the aircraft flying extremely low over a local road before crashing in a field.