Piper PA-22-135 accident near Osage Beach, Missouri, November 17, 1985
On November 17, 1985 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Piper PA-22-135, registered N8042C, was destroyed in an accident near Osage Beach, Missouri (Linn Creek-Grand airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were 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
- November 17, 1985 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Osage Beach, Missouri · Linn Creek-Grand · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-22-135 · all PA-22-135s on the register
- Registration
- N8042C · no longer on the register · serial 22-2229
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES OBSERVED N80426 LT OF THE FINAL APCH COURSE FOR RWY 14 HEADING TOWARD THE ARPT FOR LANDING. ONE WITNESS SAID THE ACFT WAS AT 300 TO 400 FT AGL WHEN THE NOSE OF THE ACFT ROSE ABRUPTLY, THE LT WING WENT DOWN AND THE ACFT DESCENDED TO THE GROUND. OTHER WITNESSES SAID THE ACFT BANKED SHARPLY TO THE LT AND TURNED ABOUT 180 DEG BEFORE THE NOSE DROPPED. THE ACFT HIT A TREE LIMB IN A NEARLY VERTICLE DESCENT AND THEN IMPACTED THE GROUND. THE ACDT SITE IS 1/2 MI NNW OF THE APCH END OF RWY 14. THE PLT HAD HISTORY OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,975 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,526 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 16, 1984; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,950 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: H2O Carthage MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 3,200 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from VIH, 45 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.