Amateur-built SPORT-A accident near Slater, Missouri, August 4, 1996
On August 4, 1996 at about 4:25 pm local time, a amateur-built SPORT-A, registered N1033B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Slater, Missouri (Slater Memorial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of a #2 connecting rod bolt, which led to a jammed connecting rod and subsequent overload separation of the #2 cylinder. A factor relating to the accident was: lack of suitable terrain for an emergency landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 1996 · about 4:25 pm local time
- Place
- Slater, Missouri · Slater Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SPORT-A
- Registration
- N1033B · registry record · serial 1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that the airplane was cruising at 2,500 feet mean sea level (MSL) when 'the engine began to throw oil on the windscreen. There was no suitable terrain for a normal landing within gliding distance, so (I) had to put down in a corn and bean field. The corn stalks were over 10 feet tall and adjacent bean field foliage was 3 feet tall.' The airplane 'clipped' the tops of four rows of corn, hit bushes between the corn and bean fields, then 'made it' to the bean field, where it came to rest. Examination of the airplane revealed a 4-inch diameter hole in the engine casing above the number two cylinder rod assembly. One of the connecting rod bolts was broken. The other connecting rod bolt and connecting rod end cap were missing. The number two cylinder had pushed free of the engine case.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,872 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 59 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 12,852 as pilot in command; 281 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 675 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 5, 1996; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,130 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-85-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IRK Kirksville MO at 3:10 pm
- Destination: 9K4 Warrensburg MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 2,455 ft by 145 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 pm from DMO, 25 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.