Beech C23 accident near Higginsville, Missouri, October 5, 2005
On October 5, 2005 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Beech C23, registered N9738L, was substantially damaged in an accident near Higginsville, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The airport operator's failure to properly mark the runway construction project, the exposed lip at the runway end, and the pilot's failure to obtain NOTAM information prior to the flight. A factor was the inadequate marking of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 2005 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Higginsville, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C23 · all C23s on the register
- Registration
- N9738L · no longer on the register · serial M1367
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was damaged when it landed on the un-paved portion of a runway under construction and struck the end of the existing runway. All three landing gear were separated from the airplane. In a written statement, the pilot stated that he landed on the un-finished portion of a runway extension that was approximately 8 inches lower than the existing runway. He stated that there were no markings visible from the air to indicate that the extension was not useable. Plywood chevrons were placed in the grass adjacent to the sides of the runway extension. There were no markings on the new runway extension. The runway extension project was listed in a notice to airmen (NOTAM).
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: 1,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MHL Marshall MO at 2:00 pm
- Destination: Higginsville MO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 5 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.