The Oklahoma Department of Transportation airplane sits in a hangar at Wiley Post Airport on Aug. 2. (Photo by Barbara Hoberock/Oklahoma Voice)
OKLAHOMA CITY — Gov. Kevin Stitt and his wife have used a state plane to crisscross the country, but records conceal the purpose and passengers of many flights, raising questions about why they’re not following state law on transparency.
While officials blame each other for omissions on the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s 1992 Beechcraft King Air’s flight logs, some legal experts say state law requires users to cite the reason for all flights and to clearly state who is aboard.
But the state law that requires such disclosures contains no consequences, such as fines, for noncompliance.
Traveling the country
In all, an Oklahoma Voice analysis of flight logs, which were obtained through an open records request with the state Department of Transportation, found the Governor’s Office authorized over 100 flights over five years that cost taxpayers nearly $301,000.