Cessna 172M accident near Mayview, Missouri, April 26, 1999
On April 26, 1999 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 172M, registered N220NY, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mayview, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for the attempted precautionary landing. Factors to the accident were the overcast weather condition, inadequate preflight planning by the pilot, the inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions, and the presence of the fence posts and pole in the selected landing area.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 26, 1999 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mayview, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172M · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N220NY · registry record · serial 17263763
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non-instrument rated pilot encountered instrument meteorological conditions during the flight. After flying in these conditions for several minutes the pilot elected to descend out of the overcast and execute a precautionary landing. During this time the pilot was not in contact with air traffic control. During the precautionary landing, the airplane struck a barbed wire fence, light pole and ditch embankment. The pilot stated that he received a weather briefing at 1200 cdt and that the weather was not favorable. A weather report for the reporting station located at the destination airport, Sedalia Memorial Airport, Sedalia, Missouri, at 1653 cdt, reported 5 statute miles visibility, mist, an overcast ceiling at 800 feet above ground level, and rapidly falling barometric pressure. The reporting station is located 37 nautical miles and 124-degrees magnetic from the accident site.
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: 230 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,343 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 20, 1998; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MHL Marshall MO at 9:30 pm
- Destination: DMO Sedalia MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from DMO, 37 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.