Piper PA-28-140 accident near Bolivar, Missouri, May 26, 1986
On May 26, 1986 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N32143, was destroyed in an accident near Bolivar, Missouri (Memorial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. 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
- May 26, 1986 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bolivar, Missouri · Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N32143 · registry record · serial 28-7529028
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED HE THOUGHT HE COULD GET AIRBORNE FROM THE TURF FIELD ALTHOUGH IT WAS WET, SOFT, AND MUDDY. AFTER ROLLING SOME DISTANCE, HE DECIDED HE WOULD HAVE TO FLY THROUGH POWERLINES OR TREES SO HE ABORTED. THE AIRPLANE RAN PAST THE END OF THE RUNWAY, THROUGH A FENCE, ACROSS A ROAD, AND INTO A YARD WHERE IT IMPACTED A YARD LIGHT AND A TREE. IT WAS DEMOLISHED BY IMPACT AND POST-IMPACT FIRE.
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: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 35 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 17 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,890 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 25, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 1, 2,550 ft by 300 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,500 ft; not recorded at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
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.