Piper PA-24-250 accident near Bethany, Missouri, August 4, 2026
On August 4, 2026 at about 11:39 pm local time, a 1964 Piper PA-24-250, registered N8422P, was destroyed in an accident during enroute near Bethany, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed.
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 2026 · about 11:39 pm local time
- Place
- Bethany, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250, built 1964 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N8422P · registry record · serial 24-3672
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On August 4, 2026, about 1839 central daylight time, a Piper PA-24-250 airplane, N8422P, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Bethany, Missouri. The pilot received fatal injuries. The airplane was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations as a Part 91 flight. The pilot, who was also the airplane owner, departed on a personal flight under visual flight rules from Peoria International Airport Peoria, Illinois, to Rapid City Regional Airport, Rapid City, South Dakota. Preliminary radar data showed that the flight climbed to an initial cruise altitude of about 13,000 ft msl after departure and operated at an altitude about 12,500 ft msl for about 90 minutes. The cruise altitude increased above 18,000 ft msl and into Class A airspace during the flight, which operated without air traffic control clearance or services. A review of weather data showed the flight entered convective activity after which it descended and impacted terrain. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that it was not equipped with an installed breathable or a portable breathable oxygen system. The postaccident examination revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal airplane operation.
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
- Other weather encounter during enroute
- Loss of control in flight during enroute defining event
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PIA Peoria IL at 9:39 pm
- Destination: RAP Rapid City SD
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 10 knots
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from LWD, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N8422P the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN26FA280.