Cessna 172 incident near Neosho, Missouri, March 24, 1987
On March 24, 1987 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Cessna 172, registered N98763, suffered minor damage in an incident near Neosho, Missouri. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 24, 1987 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Neosho, Missouri · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N98763 · registry record · serial 17276344
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT HAD JUST BEEN PURCHASED & WAS BEING FERRIED FROM ST LOUIS, MO TO SAN CARLOS, CA. THE PLT RPRTD HE WAS FLYING FROM SPRINGFIELD TO TULSA, WHEN HE ENCOUNTERED UNFORECAST WX & ELECTED TO DIVERT TO NEOSHO OR RETURN TO SPRINGFIELD. HE BEGAN A LEFT TURN TOWARD NEOSHO, BUT ENCTRD RISING TERRAIN, SO HE TURNED BACK TO THE RIGHT. WHILE TURNING, HE SAW A TV TOWER & MANEUVERED TO AVOID IT. HOWEVER, THE ACFT STRUCK A GUY WIRE & WAS DAMAGED, BUT CONTINUED FLYING. THE PLT THEN SHUT DOWN THE ENG & MADE AN OFF-ARPT LANDING WITH NO FURTHER DAMAGE. HE ESTIMATED THERE WAS A 600' CEILING WITH ONE MI VIS & WIND FROM 240 DEG AT 15 KTS.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 412 hours in all; 21 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 266 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 184 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 22, 1986; 85 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D2J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SGF Springfield MO at 12:50 pm
- Destination: TUL Tulsa OK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N98763 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MKC87IA066.