Piper PA-28-181 accident near Gasconade, Missouri, March 19, 1984
On March 19, 1984 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-181, registered N30667, was destroyed in an accident near Gasconade, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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
- March 19, 1984 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Gasconade, Missouri
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-181 · all PA-28-181s on the register
- Registration
- N30667 · registry record · serial 7990097
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT LANDED AT AN ARPT WHERE, BY HIS OWN DESCRIPTION, THE WX WAS NEAR ZERO IN RAIN. HE THEN RECEIVED 2 WX BRIEFINGS. DURING THE 1ST BRIEFING THE PLT INDICATED THAT HE COULD MAKE THE FLT IFR. THE PLT WAS ADVISED OF A SIGMET FOR SEVERE ICING CONDITIONS AT LOWER ALTITUDES IN THE COLUMBIA AREA. DURING THE 2ND BRIEFING HE WAS ADVISED THAT COLUMBIA WX WAS INDEFINITE 100 FT SKY OBSCURED, 1/4 MI VISIBILITY IN LIGHT DRIZZLE & FOG. THE FLT DEPARTED LITCHFIELD AT ABOUT 1400. AT 1530 THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE TOPS OF TREES ON A STEEP, TREE COVERED BLUFF ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE MISSOURI RIVER.
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: 300 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 80 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 12, 1983; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4M (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 3LF Litchfield IL at 2:00 pm
- Destination: COU Columbia
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 10 knots
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; not recorded at 200 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:26 pm from COU, 33 miles away
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.
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.