Amateur-built SPECIAL GREAT LAKES accident near Gentry, Missouri, June 29, 1985
On June 29, 1985 at about 10:15 pm local time, a amateur-built SPECIAL GREAT LAKES, registered N8727, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gentry, Missouri. 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
- June 29, 1985 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Gentry, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SPECIAL GREAT LAKES SPECIAL GR
- Registration
- N8727 · registry record · serial 6902M184B
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT BECAME DISORIENTED ON A CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT FROM MANHATTAN, KANSAS, TO MARYSVILLE, MISSOURI. FLYING OFF COURSE FOR A SHORT TIME, THE PLT REGAINED HIS DIRECTIONS TO HIS FUELING STOP. WHILE RETURNING TO HIS INTENDED FUEL STOP THE ACFT ENG STOPPED AND A FORCED LANDING TO A BEAN FIELD WAS ACCOMPLISHED. THE ENSUING LANDING IN THE FIELD FLIPPED THE ACFT INVERTED. INSPECTION OF THE FUEL TANKS REVEALED NO QUANTITY OF FUEL IN THE FUEL SYSTEM.
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: 147 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 148 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 23, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental A-75-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MHK Manhattan KS at 8:00 pm
- Destination: K56 Marysville MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- 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.