Cessna 140 accident near Grain Valley, Missouri, April 28, 1992
On April 28, 1992 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N77205, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grain Valley, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A STALL FOLLOWING A DOWNWIND TAKEOFF.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 28, 1992 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Grain Valley, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N77205 · no longer on the register · serial 11669
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT BECAME DISORIENTED WHILE TAXIING FOR TAKEOFF AT AIRPORT WHICH WAS NOT HIS HOME BASE, AND TOOK OFF DOWNWIND. PILOT REALIZED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT GOING TO CLEAR TREES AND POPULATED AREA AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY, AND ATTEMPTED A TURN TO THE LEFT. THE AIRCRAFT STALLED AND CRASHED ON A GOLF COURSE ADJACENT TO THE AIRPORT.
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: 900 hours in all; 850 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 850 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,782 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 8, 1991; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: MO10 Liberty MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; not recorded at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from GVW, 19 miles away
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.