Cessna 172M accident near Ava, Missouri, December 9, 1999
On December 9, 1999, a Cessna 172M, registered N69LM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ava, Missouri (Ava-Bill Martin Memorial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the improper in-flight decision made by the pilot. Factors to the accident were the charts/other manuals depicting the incorrect frequency, the dirt bank, and the rocks.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 9, 1999
- Place
- Ava, Missouri · Ava-Bill Martin Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N69LM · registry record · serial 17263973
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, he was unable to activate the airport and runway lighting systems using the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF), 122.9, as listed on the Kansas City Sectional Chart. The pilot reported that he continued the approach to the unlit airport area. The pilot stated that during the approach, he elected to go-around and during the go-around the right main landing gear touched-down off the right side of the runway. The pilot reported that he then retarded the throttle and the airplane impacted a pile of dirt and rocks about 250 feet past the departure end of runway 13. The CTAF for the Ava-Bill Martin Memorial Airport is 122.7. The CTAF frequency was incorrectly listed in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) publication database.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 132 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 62 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,861 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 4, 1999; 89 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PLK Point Lookout MO
- Destination: AOV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 3,634 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 140° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N69LM the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.