Piper PA-20 accident near Boonville, Missouri, February 13, 1984
On February 13, 1984 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-20, registered N4944M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boonville, Missouri (Jesse Viertel Memorial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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
- February 13, 1984 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Boonville, Missouri · Jesse Viertel Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-20 · all PA-20s on the register
- Registration
- N4944M · no longer on the register · serial 20-630
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT NOSED OVER AFTER LANDING. THE PLT SAID THAT THE ARPT MANAGER TOLD HIM THAT 'THERE IS A VALLEY THAT FUNNELS THE WIND AND HAS BLOWN OTHER ACFT THE SAME WAY'. THE PLT SAID THE ONLY WAY TO AVOID THIS CONDITION IS TO LAND FARTHER DOWN THE RWY.
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: 237 hours in all; 3 in the last 90 days; 237 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 13, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4K3 Lexington MO at 5:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,300 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:51 pm from COU, 19 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.
Other NTSB records under N4944M the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.