Piper PA-28R-201T accident near Bates City, Missouri, December 27, 1982
On December 27, 1982 at about 1:35 am local time, a Piper PA-28R-201T, registered N2941Q, was destroyed in an accident near Bates City, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. 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
- December 27, 1982 · about 1:35 am local time
- Place
- Bates City, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-201T PA-28R-201 · all PA-28R-201Ts on the register
- Registration
- N2941Q · no longer on the register · serial 28R-7703081
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED ABOUT 8 MI EAST OF THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT AFTER THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT TOOK OFF ON A DARK NIGHT WITH FOG AND A LOW CEILING. THE WEATHER AT THE NEAREST REPORTING STATION WAS IN PART: 600 FT OVERCAST, VISIBILITY 6 MI WITH FOG. ANOTHER PILOT ESTIMATED THAT THE CEILING WAS 800 TO 1000 FT AND THE VISIBILITY WAS 3 TO 4 MI. AN EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE LEFT WING AND STABILATOR HAD SEPARATED IN FLIGHT. A WITNESS NEAR THE ACCIDENT SITE HEARD WHAT SOUNDED TO HIM LIKE A SMALL PLANE PERFORMING AEROBATICS. HE REPORTED THAT THESE SOUNDS WERE FOLLOWED BY A "BACKFIRE", THEN A THUD.
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: 354 hours in all; 86 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 283 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,196 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 101 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3GV Grain Valley MO at 7:30 pm
- Destination: MKC Kansas City MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 090° at 5 knots
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.