Amateur-built Pietenpol Aircamper accident near Rocky Comfort, Missouri, April 9, 2002
On April 9, 2002 at about 11:55 pm local time, a amateur-built Pietenpol Aircamper, registered N96EB, was destroyed in an accident near Rocky Comfort, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot not maintaining aircraft control while maneuvering, and his failure to maintain airspeed resulting in a stall. Low altitude flight was a contributing factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 9, 2002 · about 11:55 pm local time
- Place
- Rocky Comfort, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Pietenpol Aircamper
- Registration
- N96EB · registry record · serial 001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted the terrain in an uncontrolled descent. A witness to the accident reported the airplane had been flying over his residence prior to the accident. The witness estimated the altitude of the airplane to be approximately 200 feet agl. The witness reported the pilot and the passenger waved at him, and then the airplane departed in a southwesterly direction. The witness stated that while returning to his residence he heard a sound like a shotgun. The witness reported he turned toward the direction the airplane had just departed and saw the wreckage of the airplane about 100 yards from his location. All primary structural elements and flight control surfaces were located along a wreckage path that was approximately 46 feet in length. No anomalies were found with the airplane, engine, or flight control system that could be determined to have existed prior to impact.
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: 400 hours in all; 191 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 191 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,080 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 94K Cassville MO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.28 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from JLN, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
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 CHI02LA105.