Piper PA-28-140 accident near Winchester, Missouri, June 19, 1998
On June 19, 1998 at about 4:35 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N4539R, was destroyed in an accident near Winchester, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's low altitude flight and failure to maintain clearance, resulting in collision with trees. A factor was trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 19, 1998 · about 4:35 pm local time
- Place
- Winchester, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N4539R · no longer on the register · serial 28-21244
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Several witnesses reported seeing the airplane in a left bank circling the park about 75 feet above the ground, one witness thought the airplane contacted the trees prior to the descent. Witnesses reported hearing the engine operating at the time. The airplane then descended into the trees and terrain. A post impact fire ensued. Inspection of the airplane and engine failed to reveal any failure/malfunction which would have prevented normal operation.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,534 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: CPS Cahokia IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 97°F (36°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 pm from SUS, 6 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.
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.