Mitsubishi MU-2B-25 incident near St. Joseph, Missouri, August 5, 1982
On August 5, 1982 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Mitsubishi MU-2B-25, registered N312MA, suffered minor damage in an incident near St. Joseph, Missouri (Rosecrans Memorial airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 1982 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- St. Joseph, Missouri · Rosecrans Memorial · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-25 · all MU-2B-25s on the register
- Registration
- N312MA · registry record · serial 266
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PILOT WAS CLEARED TO CLIMB TO 6000 FT MSL. WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH ABOUT 5000 FT, HE HEARD A LOUD NOISE (BAM) AS THE LEFT ENGINE LOST POWER. THE LEFT ENGINE WAS SHUT DOWN AND FEATHERED AND A LANDING WAS MADE WITH NO OTHER PROBLEMS. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE THIRD STAGE TURBINE WHEEL HAD FAILED FROM FATIGUE. PORTIONS OF THE WHEEL, PROPELLED BY CENTRIFUGAL FORCE, EXITED THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ENGINE CASE AND PENETRATED THE LEFT SIDE OF THE CABIN, RESULTING IN MINOR DAMAGE. THE FAILURE CREATED AN UNBALANCED CONDITION IN THE TURBINE SECTION WHICH ALLOWED AN ASYMMETERICAL LOAD TO BE APPLIED TO THE REAR MAIN BEARING SUPPORT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE BEARING SUPPORT FAILED, SEPARATED AND IMPACTED THE LEADING EDGE OF THE LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,553 hours in all; 2,198 in this make and model; 106 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,465 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,930 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331-6-251 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bio Zyme Enterprise, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: STJ St. Joseph MO at 3:40 pm
- Destination: H-76 Pawhuska OK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17, 8,059 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 176°F (80°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N312MA 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.