Ryan ST-A accident near Versailles, Missouri, August 10, 1985
On August 10, 1985 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Ryan ST-A, registered N17351, was destroyed in an accident near Versailles, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- August 10, 1985 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Versailles, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Ryan ST-A
- Registration
- N17351 · registry record · serial 193
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT OF ANOTHER (ACCOMPANYING) ACFT, HAD BRIEFED THE PLT OF N17351, ON WX THAT COULD BE EXPECTED EN ROUTE. INSTEAD OF FOLLOWING THE OTHER ACFT AS HE HAD BEEN BRIEFED, THE PLT OF N17351 GOT IN THE LEAD. WHILE EN ROUTE, HE WAS OBSERVED TO FLY UNDER THE EDGE OF CLOUDS FROM WHICH HE DID NOT RETURN. A GROUND WITNESS SAW HIM COME OUT OF A LOW CEILING IN APRX A 45 DEG NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE & IMPACT IN AN OPEN FIELD. NEITHER THE ACFT NOR THE PLT WERE CERTIFIED FOR FLT IN INSTRUMENT CONDITIONS.
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: 800 hours in all; 15 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 541 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 7, 1985; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Menasco PIRATE C4S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2K2 Springfield MO at 1:20 pm
- Destination: M84 Boonville MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:47 pm from COU, 38 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.