Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
West Plains, Missouri 65775
Sunday, May 7, 1989 11:34 CDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE PLT HAD FLOWN ANOTHER ACFT FROM DIKE, IA TO JONESBORO, AR & HAD TRADED IT FOR N1305, WHICH HE WAS FLYING BACK TO DIKE. HE HAD PLANNED AN INTERMEDIATE STOP AT WEST PLAINS, MO. IN THE VICINITY OF WEST PLAINS, WITNESSES HEARD A POPPING SOUND FROM THE ENG. THE PLT LANDED IN A FLD OF KNEE HIGH GRASS NEAR WEST PLAINS. AFTER REPAIRING A REPORTED PROBLEM WITH A SCREW ON THE CARBURETOR, THE PLT ELECTED TO FLY THE ACFT OUT OF THE FIELD. HE INITIATED A TAKEOFF TO THE EAST ON SLIGHTLY RISING TERRAIN WITH A SLIGHT TAIL WIND. AFTER LIFT-OFF, THE ACFT GAINED LITTLE ALTITUDE BFR RCHG POWER LINES & ENTERED A SHARP TURN. IT THEN PITCHED DOWN & CRASHED. WITNESSES REPORTED THE WIND WAS GENTLE FM THE WEST, BUT MOVEMENT OF TREETOPS INDCD A STRONGER WIND ALOFT.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
IMPROPER PREFLIGHT PLANNING BY THE PILOT AND HIS FAILURE TO ATTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED, WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL AS HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO AVOID A POWER TRANSMISSION LINE. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: RISING TERRAIN, TALL GRASS, TAILWIND, AND THE TRANSMISSION WIRES.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 5/7/1989 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 1134 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Daylight Time |
| Event City | WEST PLAINS |
| Event State | MISSOURI |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 65775 |
| Event Date Year | 1989 |
| Event Date Month | 5 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 0 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Unknown |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1052 Central Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 280 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | SGF |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 1267 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 80 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Thin Broken |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 15 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 16 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -1 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 310 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 1020 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Serious |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | 1 |
| Injury Total All | 1 |
| Investigating Agency | FAA |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1337 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | May 7 1989 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1200 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 39524 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 13 2000 12:41PM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N1305 |
| NTSB Number | MKC89DCG01 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Destroyed |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | GRIGG/BOWERS |
| Aircraft Model | FLYBABY |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | FLYBABY |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 143 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 925 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | Yes |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 1 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Annual |
| Date of Last Inspection | May 5 1988 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 12 |
| Airframe Hours | 1428 |
| ELT Installed | No |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | WILLIAM L. IRWIN |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | ASU BEEBE BOX 4 |
| Aircraft Owner City | BEEBE |
| Aircraft Owner State | AK |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 72012 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | 430 U LANE |
| Operator City | DIKE |
| Operator State | IA |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 50624 |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Ferry |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | |
| Departure City | |
| Departure State | |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 0 |
| Departure Time Zone | |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | UNO |
| Destination City | WEST PLAINS |
| Destination State | MO |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Takeoff |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:35AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | 0 |
| Runway Width | 0 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |