Cessna 172R accident near Joplin, Missouri, July 1, 2014
On July 1, 2014 at about 10:26 pm local time, a 2000 Cessna 172R, registered N468CM, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Joplin, Missouri (Joplin Regional Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because an operational test run of the engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 1, 2014 · about 10:26 pm local time · cases in 2014
- Place
- Joplin, Missouri · Joplin Regional Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R, built 2000 · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N468CM · registry record · serial 17280860
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that the accident occurred as he was completing a touch-and-go landing following a cross-country flight. He reported that, after an uneventful landing and during the subsequent initial climb, the engine "grumbled" and began to "cut in and out." The pilot immediately told the airport tower controller that the airplane had an engine issue, reduced engine power, and fully extended the wing flaps for landing on the remaining runway. During the landing roll, the airplane overran the end of the runway before it collided with a light pole associated with the runway approach lighting system. Following the accident, the pilot was able to taxi the airplane back onto the runway, under normal engine power, before he shut down the engine on a nearby taxiway. A postaccident examination established that the fuel system contained about 42 gallons of aviation fuel that was evenly distributed between the two wing fuel tanks. The engine was started by following the normal checklist procedure, and it developed takeoff power during an operational test run. No hesitation or engine roughness was experienced during the operational test run, and the engine responded to corresponding throttle movements throughout the test run. Thus, the postaccident operational test run did not reveal any anomalies with the fuel-injected engine that would have prevented normal operation. The reason for the partial loss of engine power could not be determined.
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 engine power (partial) during initial climb defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Runway/taxi/approach light › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 135.3 hours in all; 124 in this make and model; 28.7 in the last 90 days; 18.7 in the last 30 days; 82 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 23, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,842.2 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, June 27, 2014; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 6,842 hours total
- Operator: University of Central Missouri
The flight
- Departed from: 3DW Springfield MO at 10:00 pm
- Destination: JLN Joplin MO
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 31, 6,501 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 10:33 pm from JLN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on December 7, 2015. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Engine Examination and Operational Test Run 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.
Other NTSB records under N468CM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N468CM on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cessna 172 Skyhawk 20,687 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,682 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 8,560 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Joplin Regional · nearest airport
- Downtown Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Missouri 1,640 since 1982 · 219 in the last ten years
- Missouri 5,817 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N468CM 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN14LA333.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.