Grumman F9F-8T accident near Missing, October 31, 1991
On October 31, 1991 at about 5:38 pm local time, a Grumman F9F-8T, registered N24WJ, was destroyed in an accident near Missing. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
UNDETERMINED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 31, 1991 · about 5:38 pm local time
- Place
- Missing
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Grumman F9F-8T
- Registration
- N24WJ · no longer on the register · serial A-20-60
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE 1960 MANUFACTURED MILITARY TRAINER WAS CLIMBING THROUGH 25,300 FEET TO ITS CRUISING ALTITUDE OF 29,000 FEET WHEN RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST. A FOUR DAY AIR AND WATER SEARCH FAILED TO LOCATE THE AIRPLANE OR OCCUPANTS. THE PILOT HAD BEEN ISSUED A LETTER OF AUTHORIZATION TO FLY THE AIRPLANE IN VFR CONDITIONS ONLY. THE AIRPLANE WAS EQUIPPED FOR IMC FLIGHT, BUT IT DID NOT HAVE WEATHER RADAR INSTALLED. CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY (VIP LEVEL ONE THUNDERSTORMS) EXISTED IN THE VICINITY OF THE LAST KNOWN POSITION AND OVERCAST SKIES PREVAILED.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,728 hours in all; 1,400 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 25,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W J48-P-8A (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: World Jet INC.
The flight
- Departed from: BFD Houston TX at 5:20 pm
- Destination: TLH Tallahassee FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:29 pm from LCH, 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.