Piper PA-28-180 accident near Grant City, Missouri, August 29, 1996
On August 29, 1996 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-180, registered N8456W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grant City, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
low oil level which resulted in the partial loss of engine power, the pilot's intentional operation of the airplane with a known mechanical deficiency, and the hay bale. Factors relating to this accident were the owner/pilot mechanic's failure to comply with engine operating parameters pertaining to oil consumption and the pilot's decision to perform a precautionary landing in a hay field.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 1996 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Grant City, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-180 · all PA-28-180s on the register
- Registration
- N8456W · no longer on the register · serial 28-2692
- 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 in cruise flight at 5,500 feet mean sea level (MSL), and three hours into the flight, when he noticed that the oil pressure indicator read zero. The pilot performed a precautionary landing in a circular hay field which contained numerous rolled bales of hay. 'I planned to land on an upgrade, which I did, halfway up. As I topped the grade, two hay bales appeared. I opened the throttle, with no response, hoping to clear the bales of hay.' The airplane's right wing struck one of the hay bales and nosed over. Examination of the wreckage showed no anomalies. There was no evidence of in-flight oil loss. In a later statement, the pilot said that the airplane's engine was consuming 1.5 to 2 quarts of oil an hour. The engine operator's manual states that the maximum oil consumption for the engine in a one hour time period at normal power (2,700 RPM) is .80 quarts.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,000 hours in all; 125 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 18,000 as pilot in command; 500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,161 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 29, 1996; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A3A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HYS Hays KS at 6:20 pm
- Destination: OTM Ottumwa IA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from STJ, 48 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.