Ownership guide
Stinson 108
207 registered in the US, built from about 1945 to 1956, 4 seats, most with the Franklin 6A4150. Its Airworthiness Directives, its engines', and what to check before buying one.
The fleet
- Registered in the US
- 207
- Built
- 1945 to 1956
- Half built by
- 1946
- Seats
- 4
- Engine type
- Piston
- Most common engine
- Franklin 6A4150
Engines installed
- Franklin 6A4150172 aircraft (83%)
- Franklin 6A416523 aircraft (11%)
From the FAA aircraft registry, rebuilt daily. Years are those recorded on each registration.
Airworthiness Directives
3 current ADs name the 108 airframe, 0 with a repeat action. 9 equipment ADs name the model.
No current airframe AD mentions a repeat action.
Accident record
60 accidents since 2008, 2 fatal (4 people killed in them, a midair counting both aircraft), 0 aircraft destroyed.
What happened
- Loss of control on ground18
- Loss of engine power (total)11
- Loss of engine power (partial)6
- Loss of control in flight5
- Nose over/nose down4
- Fuel starvation2
Phase of flight
- Landing22
- Takeoff12
- Enroute10
- Initial climb8
- Approach4
The latest
| Date | Where | What happened | Injuries | NTSB number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-08 | Seguin, TX | Standing: Propeller or rotor struck a person | Serious | CEN25LA243 |
| 2025-06-14 | Cantwell, AK | Landing: Nose over/nose down | Minor | ANC25LA052 |
| 2025-04-25 | North pole, AK | Enroute: Collision with terrain or object (non-CFIT) | Minor | ANC25LA036 |
| 2024-04-25 | Beach city, OH | Emergency descent: Loss of engine power (total) | None | ERA24LA201 |
| 2024-03-15 | Houston, AK | Initial climb: Fuel starvation | Minor | ANC24LA020 |
| 2023-07-13 | Ninilchik, AK | Enroute: Loss of engine power (total) | None | ANC23LA051 |
From the NTSB's aviation accident database, refreshed monthly; accidents only, homebuilts left out. Counts, not rates: nobody publishes how many hours each model flies, and a training fleet flies far more than a private one. Look up any case by its number in the NTSB's CAROL.
What it costs to run
Per hour flown
Per year, flown or not
- Fuel
- $0/hr
- Engine reserve
- $0/hr
- A year
- $0
- All in, per hour
- $0/hr
Everything else is yours to fill in: insurance, hangar and overhaul prices vary too much by pilot, airport and shop for a default to mean anything. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Before you buy one
- Run its N-number through the AD check: every AD that names its airframe and engine, as a checklist to take to the logbooks.
- For each repeat-action AD, find the last compliance in the logbooks and when the next one is due.
- Compare the engine's time since overhaul with its maker's published overhaul time, and look for the reason behind any long gap in flying.
- 9 equipment ADs name the 108 (a muffler, a seat belt, a display): find out which of that equipment is installed.
- Check the registration, the airworthiness certificate and the date of the last annual inspection.
- Work out the sales or use tax your state will charge with the aircraft tax calculator.
Questions
- How many Stinson 108s are registered in the US?
- 207, in the FAA aircraft registry.
- When was the Stinson 108 built?
- From about 1945 to 1956. Half of those registered today were built by 1946.
- What engine does the Stinson 108 have?
- Most have the Franklin 6A4150 (83% of those registered); others have the Franklin 6A4165.
- How many accidents has the Stinson 108 had?
- 60 in the NTSB's database since 2008, 2 of them fatal. The most common defining event was loss of control on ground. These are counts, not rates: how many hours the fleet flew is not published.
- How many Airworthiness Directives does the Stinson 108 have?
- 3 current ADs name the 108 airframe, 0 of them with a repeat action. Whether each applies to one aircraft depends on its serial number and installed equipment.
Figures from the FAA aircraft registry and the FAA's Airworthiness Directives, rebuilt daily. An AD listed for a model is one to read; whether it applies to one aircraft depends on its serial number, equipment and records.