Piper PA-28-161 accident near Mexico, Missouri, March 18, 2012
On March 18, 2012 at about 4:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N158EA, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Mexico, Missouri (Feutz Airfield). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and subsequent collision with trees. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate preflight performance planning before departing on the soft, grass field with a quartering tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 18, 2012 · about 4:50 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Mexico, Missouri · Feutz Airfield · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N158EA · registry record · serial 28-8016210
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and his wife were departing from a 2,600-foot, soft, grass strip with a quartering right tailwind. The grass height on the runway was between 6 and 10 inches high. The airplane departed about 1,900 feet down the runway, veered to the left, stalled, and collided with trees before it came to rest in a field. Interpolation of available takeoff performance revealed that the airplane would have needed about 2,312 feet of ground-roll distance for a successful takeoff from a paved, level, dry runway, with zero flaps, under the existing wind conditions. No mechanical deficiencies were found with the airplane or engine that would have precluded normal operation at the time of the accident.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Performance calculations › Pilot
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › Soft › Decision related to condition
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › (general) › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 152 hours in all; 45 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,828 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 4, 2011; 240 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Stuart Flying LLC
The flight
- Departed from: MYK Mexico MO at 4:15 pm
- Destination: M088 Mexico MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 08, 2,600 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 16 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,600 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from COU, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
9 documents, released by the NTSB on December 18, 2012. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Record of Conversation - Witness | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation - Witness | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo 1 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 2 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo 3 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 4 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N158EA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-28 Cherokee, Warrior, Archer and Arrow 18,620 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES 27,304 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- May Creek Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Missouri 1,640 since 1982 · 219 in the last ten years
- Missouri 5,821 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN12FA188.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.