Cessna 195 accident near Greenville, Missouri, September 26, 1996
On September 26, 1996 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Cessna 195, registered N195WR, was destroyed in an accident near Greenville, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's decision to fly into known adverse weather which resulted in an overload failure and separation of the left wing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 1996 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Greenville, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 195 · all 195s on the register
- Registration
- N195WR · no longer on the register · serial 7050
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had telephoned the Jonesboro FSS and was advised by the briefer 'moderate turbulence... icing... visibilities one to two with thunderstorms and rain.... VFR flight is not recommended.' The pilot reported 'I'm gonna file that way and then I'll go just as close as I can get and when it gets bad I'll just shut it down.' Instrument meteorological conditions, severe rain, and thunderstorms were reported by witnesses in the vicinity of the accident site. Several people reported that they heard the sound of the airplane flying overhead at 'a low altitude.' No eyewitnesses were located. The outboard nine feet of the left wing was located approximately 1/4 mile from the main wreckage. Examination of the wing spar fragments and a section of the wing from the vicinity of the left wing fracture revealed 'features typical of overstress separations. Deformation associated with the fracture in the upper and lower spar caps was indicative of a bending overstress separation in the downward direction. No fatigue cracking or other types of progressive deterioration was noted.' Examination of the wreckage revealed no other evidence of preimpact malfunction.
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: 1,200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 3,150 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs L4 /R755-7 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: AWM West Memphis AR at 3:35 pm
- Destination: 1H0 Creve Coeur MO
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,600 ft; scat at 900 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:35 pm from FA, 30 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.