Navion B accident near Joplin, Missouri, April 3, 2004
On April 3, 2004 at about 4:34 pm local time, a Navion B, registered N5223K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Joplin, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. The posts, unsuitable terrain and signs were factors to the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 3, 2004 · about 4:34 pm local time
- Place
- Joplin, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Navion B
- Registration
- N5223K · no longer on the register · serial NAV 4-2123B
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced landing after a loss of engine power. The pilot reported the airplane had about 54 gallons of fuel on board. He reported the flight normally took one hour and twenty minutes to complete. During the VFR approach for landing, the engine suddenly quit. The pilot performed the emergency procedure checklist for engine restart but without success. He established a 85 mph glide airspeed and executed a forced landing to a highway. He reported that he "held the aircraft 6 or 8 feet above the highway until the aircraft could no longer fly." The airplane contacted the highway wings level but the nose gear collapsed, and then the left and right main gear collapsed. The right wing impacted a road sign and the left wing was sheared off at the wing root when it struck two steel posts. The pilot exited the airplane. He reported smelling fuel and that fuel was "running out of the right tip tank." The inspection of the engine revealed that all cylinders exhibited thumb compression, and spark was verified from both magnetos to all ignition leads. All spark plugs were in good condition. Fuel was found in the supply line to the engine driven fuel pump. The engine driven fuel pump was disassembled and proper operation was verified.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,904 hours in all; 190 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 4,100 as pilot in command; 2,200 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 11, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,654 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2003; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-250-BA12B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Lonoke AR at 3:10 pm
- Destination: JLN Joplin MO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from JLN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
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.