Piper PA-14 accident near Trenton, Missouri, September 10, 1983
On September 10, 1983 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-14, registered N372T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Trenton, Missouri (Trenton Municipal 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 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 10, 1983 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Trenton, Missouri · Trenton Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-14 · all PA-14s on the register
- Registration
- N372T · registry record · serial 14-492
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT HAD JUST RECEIVED EXTENSIVE MAINTENANCE AT BUFFALO, MO, WHICH INCLUDED INTERNAL & EXTERNAL RECOVERING & AN STC MODIFICATION. DURING ARRIVAL AT TRENTON, MO, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED ON A SHORT FINAL APCH. AT A POSITION OF APRX 200 FT SHORT OF THE RWY & 75 FT AGL, THE ACFT WAS OBSERVED TO PITCH UP TO THE LEFT, STALL, PITCH DOWN & IMPACT THE GROUND. AN EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED THAT THE FRONT ATTACHING POINT FOR THE LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER HAD SEPARATED FROM THE CROSSOVER TUDE. THE CROSSOVER TUBE WAS DESIGNED AS A CONNECTING MEMBER BETWEEN THE LEFT & RIGHT HORIZONTAL STABILIZERS. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THE CROSSOVER TUBE HAD ONLY BEEN INSERTED 7/8 INCH INTO THE FRONT ATTACHING POINT OF THE LEFT STABILIZER, BUT WAS INSERTED 4-7/8 INCHES INTO THE RIGHT STABILIZER. THE CONNECTING BOLT WAS STILL INSTALLED IN THE LEFT STABILIZER, BUT IT WAS LOCATED BEYOND THE EXTENSION OF THE CROSSOVER TUBE ON THAT SIDE.
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: 448 hours in all; 448 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,566 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 9, 1983; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: H17 Buffalo MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 4,400 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Observation at 10:45 pm from IRK, 62 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.