Smith Miniplane MINI accident near Lexington, Missouri, October 12, 1982
On October 12, 1982 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Smith Miniplane MINI, registered N28M, was destroyed in an accident near Lexington, Missouri (Lexington Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 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
- October 12, 1982 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lexington, Missouri · Lexington Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Smith Miniplane MINI
- Registration
- N28M · no longer on the register · serial 100
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING TAXI FOR TAKEOFF THE PILOT SMELLED FUEL FUMES IN THE COCKPIT AND NOTICED FUEL LEAKAGE UNDER THE FUEL TANK, LOCATED ABOVE THE PILOTS LEG. THE PILOT THEN PARKED THE AIRCRAFT AND SHUTDOWN THE ENGINE. A FIRE STARTED AFTER HE DEPLANED AND CONSUMED THE FABRIC-COVERED AIRCRAFT. THE SOURCE OF THE FUEL LEAK WAS NOT DETERMINED.
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: 270 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 52 in the last 90 days; 214 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290G (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: C Liberty MO at 1:00 pm
- Destination: C Lexington MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,270 ft by 140 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.