Bede Aircraft BD-5B accident near Cape Girardeau, Missouri, October 26, 1985
On October 26, 1985 at about 3:13 pm local time, a Bede Aircraft BD-5B, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N548BD, was destroyed in an accident near Cape Girardeau, Missouri (Cape Girardeau Muni airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
- October 26, 1985 · about 3:13 pm local time
- Place
- Cape Girardeau, Missouri · Cape Girardeau Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bede Aircraft BD-5B, amateur-built
- Registration
- N548BD · no longer on the register · serial 548
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE OWNER/BUILDER HAD HIRED THE PLT TO TEST FLY THE ACFT ON ITS INITIAL FLT. SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, THE PLT TRANSMITTED THAT HE HAD AN ENG PROBLEM. HE WAS CLEARED FOR AN IMMEDIATE LANDING & ENTERED A DOWNWIND FOR RWY 28. AS HE CONTINUED & WAS TURNING FROM A BASE TO FINAL APCH, THE ACFT ENTERED A SPIN IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THE ACFT IMPACTED ON THE EDGE OF AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY WHILE IN A STEEP NOSE-DOWN ATTITUDE. AN EXAM OF THE ENG REVEALED THE #1 CYCLINDER SPARK PLUG WIRE WAS COMPLETELY DETACHED; THE #2 CYLINDER WIRE WAS DETACHED FROM THE SPARK PLUG (ALTHO ITS DUST BOOT WAS STILL CONNECTED); & THE #4 SPARK PLUG WIRE DUST BOOT SHOWED EVIDENCE OF HAVING COME IN CONTACT WITH AN ADJACENT EXHAUST STACK & WAS BURNED UNTIL THERE WAS SEPARATION AT THE BOOT'S MIDPOINT.
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: 450 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 450 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 12, 1985; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 934 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Honda E2B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CGI
- Destination: CGI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 6,499 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:15 pm from CGI, 43 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.