Piper PA-24 accident near Cairo, Missouri, December 6, 1997
On December 6, 1997 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-24, registered N8452P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cairo, Missouri. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a fractured muffler, failure of the owner/pilot to ensured that the annual maintenance inspection had been completed before flight, and subsequent pilot incapacitation due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 6, 1997 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cairo, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24 · all PA-24s on the register
- Registration
- N8452P · registry record · serial 26-27
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot had climbed to 5,500 ft MSL & had trimmed the airplane at cruise power settings. He set the GPS navigation system for a direct flight, then engaged the autopilot & switched the fuel selector to the left auxiliary fuel tank. He remembered passing Herrington, KS, at which time, he set his radios for arrival at Topeka, Ks. From that point, he could not remember anything else about the flight until he 'awoke' in a flat hay field near Cairo, MO. (The airplane had touched down in a wings level attitude and slid about 525 ft before hitting a fence & small trees.) When the pilot 'initially awoke,' he was confused & thought he was still airborne. Eventually, he walked to a farm house & after waiting another 1 to 1-1/2 hr, an ambulance arrived to take him to a hospital. Subsequently, blood was drawn. Toxicology tests of his blood showed 26.8% saturation with carbon monoxide. Inspection of the airplane revealed the right muffler had a crack around one of its seams, which allowed exhaust fumes into the cabin heater housing & into the cabin. The airplane had recently been taken to an airplane service center for an annual inspection. The pilot decided to fly the airplane before the annual inspection had been signed off.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 768 hours in all; 553 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 685 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,014 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 30, 1996; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-720-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GBD Great Bend KS at 1:10 pm
- Destination: TOP Topeka KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 pm from COU, 42 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.
Other NTSB records under N8452P the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.