Culver LFA accident near Plattsburg, Missouri, July 8, 1984
On July 8, 1984 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Culver LFA, registered N41638, was substantially damaged in an accident near Plattsburg, Missouri (Plattsburg Airpark 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
- July 8, 1984 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Plattsburg, Missouri · Plattsburg Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Culver LFA · all LFAs on the register
- Registration
- N41638 · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES VIEWED THE ACFT IN A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE AT A LOW ALT NEAR THE SOUTH END OF RWY 18. THE ACFT CLIMBED A SHORT DISTANCE, ROLLED TO THE LEFT AND DESCENDED NEARLY VERTICALLY TO THE GROUND.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 9,100 hours in all; 49 in this make and model; 126 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 947 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 14, 1983; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 864 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental A-75-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 5C2 Blakesburg IA at 3:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 2,094 ft by 24 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:46 pm from MCI, 21 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.