Piper PA-28R-200 accident near Mountain Grove, Missouri, December 21, 2003
On December 21, 2003 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-200, registered N56598, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mountain Grove, Missouri (Mountain Grove 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
Improper use of the brakes during landing by the pilot, resulting in failure of the left main landing gear tire and a loss of directional control. Contributing factors were the failure of the main landing gear, as well as the grass and the ditch adjacent to the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 21, 2003 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mountain Grove, Missouri · Mountain Grove · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-200 · all PA-28R-200s on the register
- Registration
- N56598 · registry record · serial 28R-7435016
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was substantially damaged during landing when it departed the runway pavement and encountered a ditch. The pilot estimated the wind during the accident flight at five knots or less. He noted that the pre-takeoff brake check was normal and the takeoff was uneventful. The pilot stated that upon landing the aircraft began pulling to the left. He reported that he applied full right rudder and right brake. However, the aircraft began tracking toward the left side of the runway and subsequently departed the pavement. The aircraft encountered a small ditch and the left main landing gear collapsed. A local pilot reported observing the aircraft's approach and thought that it was slightly high and fast. She also recalled hearing one, louder than normal "chirp" of the tires on the runway during landing touchdown, leading her to think the pilot had made a "hard 3 point landing." The president of the flying club from which the pilot had rented the aircraft reported having a conversation concerning the accident with the pilot. He commented to the pilot that, during a crosswind landing situation in the model aircraft involved, it "would be easy to push with the toes to lock the brake." The pilot reportedly responded that "that was probably the case." A post-accident inspection revealed the left main landing gear had collapsed and damaged the left wing. The left main tire had a hole worn through the tread area. The brake system on the left main landing gear was examined. No anomalies consistent with a pre-impact failure were observed. The runway exhibited tire marks beginning approximately 1,400 feet from the threshold and continuing, virtually uninterrupted, to the point the aircraft departed the pavement. The marks in the grass continued from that point to the aircraft's resting position in the ditch. The initial skid mark was associated with the left main landing gear. It continued approximately 275 feet and paralleled the runway centerline. The mark was characterized by a single, continuous line with the exception of two short breaks. The skid mark produced by the left main gear tire changed to a set of two parallel marks characteristic of a flat tire. At this point, the mark indicated that the aircraft began tracking toward the left side of the runway and was continuous until it left the pavement. A single, continuous skid mark associated with the right main landing gear tire began about the time the aircraft started tracking to the left.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 276 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 186 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 15, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,527 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 10, 2003; 75 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1MO Mountain Grove MO at 9:45 pm
- Destination: 1MO Mountain Grove MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 3,590 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from UNO, 25 miles away
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.
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.