Cessna 320E accident near Point Lookout, Missouri, March 10, 1987
On March 10, 1987 at about 11:20 pm local time, a Cessna 320E, registered N712SF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Point Lookout, Missouri (M. Graham Clark airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. 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
- March 10, 1987 · about 11:20 pm local time
- Place
- Point Lookout, Missouri · M. Graham Clark
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 320E · all 320Es on the register
- Registration
- N712SF · no longer on the register · serial 320E-0011
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PLT LANDED THE ACFT AND ALLOWED IT TO SLOW BEFORE APPLYING BRAKES. THE STUDENT STATED, THE ACFT THEN BEGAN VEERING TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RWY. ATTEMPTS BY THE STUDENT AND CFI TO CORRECT THE SITUATION WERE INEFFECTIVE AND THE ACFT DEPARTED THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RWY. IT MADE A SHARP RIGHT TURN AND DESCENDED DOWN SLOPING TERRAIN. THE NOSE GEAR THEN COLLAPSED AND THE ACFT NOSED OVER INVERTED. INSPECTION OF THE BRAKE SYSTEM REVEALED A LEAKING HYDRAULIC LINE 90 DEGREE FITTING AT THE BRAKE. THE SYSTEM WAS INSPECTED 10 MONTHS AND 103 FLT HOURS PRIOR TO THIS ACCIDENT.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,305 hours in all; 91 in this make and model; 238 in the last 90 days; 1,192 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,143 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 5, 1986; 103 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PLK Point Lookout MO at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 29, 3,600 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; not recorded at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.