Just Aircraft JA-30 accident near Hartville, Missouri, April 26, 2026
On April 26, 2026, a 2016 Just Aircraft JA-30, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N422T, was destroyed in an accident during initial climb near Hartville, Missouri (Pvt airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 clearance from a power line after takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 26, 2026
- Place
- Hartville, Missouri · Pvt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Just Aircraft JA-30 SuperSTOL, built 2016, amateur-built
- Registration
- N422T · registry record · serial JA373-04-14
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had just departed in the tailwheel equipped STOL (short takeoff and landing) airplane from his private rural grass airstrip about 25 minutes before sunset. The airplane collided with a power line about 500 yards south of the runway, impacted terrain, and came to rest inverted. A postimpact fire consumed a majority of the airplane. A witness stated that the airplane was flying normally before the power line collision. Aerial marker balls were not installed on the power line, nor were they required to be. The pilot stated that he did not remember the accident sequence due to his serious injuries, but before the accident, the wind was about 4 mph from the south and the density altitude was high. Prior to the accident flight, he completed multiple flights and landings in the airplane. Since this grass airstrip was on his property, he was aware of the power lines and frequently flew over them during takeoff and landing. The reason for the collision with the power line 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
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Contributed to outcome
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 300 hours in all; 200 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax Aircraft Engines 912 ULS (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18/3, 1,100 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 16 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.71 inHg
- Observation at 7:43 pm from KSGF, 41 miles away
Weather report (METAR): SPECI KSGF 270043Z 16016G24KT 10SM VCTS FEW050 23/17 A2971 RMK AO2 PK WND 14027/2354 LTG DSNT W AND NW T02330167
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 6 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Image 1 – Google Earth view of accident site with labels
Photograph 1 – Powerlines viewed from the end of the airstrip
Photograph 2 – Airplane inverted and burned
Photograph 3 – Right wing
Photograph 4 – Left wing
Photograph 5 – TailThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on July 15, 2026. 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 | Memorandum for Record - Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record - Accident Information | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 7 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.