Amateur-built HORIZON 2 accident near Grain Valley, Missouri, August 25, 1999
On August 25, 1999 at about 9:52 pm local time, a amateur-built HORIZON 2, registered N787TP, was destroyed in an accident near Grain Valley, Missouri (Grain Valley Airport). 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 failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of experience in this type of airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 1999 · about 9:52 pm local time
- Place
- Grain Valley, Missouri · Grain Valley Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built HORIZON 2
- Registration
- N787TP · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane on its maiden flight was seen just above runway 27 at the Grain Valley Airport, Grain Valley, Missouri, heading westbound. One witness said the airplane was flying nose high and wobbling as if it did not have enough speed. The airplane made a sharp left turn and disappeared behind the trees. Another witness said that the airplane was flying in a nose high attitude and did not seem to be gaining any speed. He watched the nose come down slightly as if the pilot was tying to gain speed, but then go back up again. As the airplane neared the west end of the runway, the witness said it turned left or south, and began descending with the nose high and the tail down, until it disappeared behind the trees. Both witnesses went to the accident site and found the airplane engulfed in flames. Examination of the wreckage revealed the adjuster screw on the propeller hub, used for setting the pitch of the blades, was extended 1 42/64 inches above the adjuster plate. The propeller manufacturer stated that the propeller is ground adjustable from 18 inches (feather) to 52 inches, with 35 inches being the neutral setting. The adjuster screw extension for the neutral setting is 1 7/16 inches. A screw measurement of 1 42/64 inches would equate to a propeller blade setting of 27 inches.
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: 222 hours in all; 10 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 177 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Subaru EA81 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 3GV at 9:52 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 4,507 ft by 44 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 pm from MKC, 18 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.