Cessna 172 accident near Edina, Missouri, April 11, 1994
On April 11, 1994 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N4253L, was destroyed in an accident near Edina, Missouri. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot in commands' failure to obtain obstruction clearance from trees during a visual takeoff from a short, soft, wet field in instrument meteorological conditions. A factor was the pilot in commands' misjudgment of the takeoff climb performance of the airplane, which resulted in striking trees at the departure end of the field. A second factor was the operation of the airplane with a known defective wet compass, which resulted in the pilot's disorientation and led him to land in the unsuitable field.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 11, 1994 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Edina, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N4253L · no longer on the register · serial 67-18357
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT IN COMMAND KNOWLINGLY DEPARTED ON A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT WITH AN INOPERATIVE WET COMPASS, SET HIS DIRECTIONAL GYRO 90 DEGREES OFF IN FLIGHT, AND BECAME DISORIENTED IN DETERIORATING WEATHER. HE ELECTED TO LAND IN A SHORT, SOFT, WET SOD FIELD TO FIND OUT HIS LOCATION, THEN TOOK OFF AGAIN WITH WEATHER ESTIMATED AT 800 FT OVERCAST, 2 MILES IN RAIN. DURING THE INITIAL TAKEOFF CLIMB, IN CONTROLLED FLIGHT, THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED TREES AT THE DEPARTURE END OF FIELD.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,539 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1,452 as pilot in command; 395 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,812 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 2, 1994; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-300-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7C9 Pella IA at 3:58 pm
- Destination: C09 Morris IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:48 pm from UIN, 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.
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.