Piper PA-36-375 accident near Unionville, Missouri, September 1, 1983
On September 1, 1983 at about 2:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-36-375, registered N3819E, was destroyed in an accident near Unionville, Missouri (Unionville airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. 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 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
- September 1, 1983 · about 2:20 pm local time
- Place
- Unionville, Missouri · Unionville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-36-375 · all PA-36-375s on the register
- Registration
- N3819E · no longer on the register · serial 36-7802013
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO TURN 45 DEG TO THE LEFT AFTER TAKEOFF AND WHEN A SHORT DISTANCE PAST THE SOUTH END OF THE RUNWAY INITIATED A TURN RIGHT AS IF TO LAND ON RUNWAY 35. AS THE ACFT BECAME ALIGNED WITH RUNWAY 35, THE RIGHT WING DROPPED, THE ACFT ENTERED A SPIN AND HIT THE GROUND. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE DID NOT REVEAL ANY EVIDENCE OF PREIMPACT FAILURE OR DEFICIENCY IN THE ACFT BUT A WHITE LIQUID THOUGHT TO BE SPRAY CHEMICAL, COULD BE SEEN LEAKING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE ACFT DURING THE SHORT FLIGHT.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,454 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 7, 1983; 140 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO720-DICD (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 2,800 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:00 pm from IRK, 35 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.