Thorp T-18 accident near Bowling Green, Missouri, April 20, 1987
On April 20, 1987 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Thorp T-18, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N218HW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bowling Green, Missouri (Bowling Green airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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
- April 20, 1987 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Bowling Green, Missouri · Bowling Green · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Thorp T-18, amateur-built · all T-18s on the register
- Registration
- N218HW · no longer on the register · serial 532
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PIC RPTDLY ENCOUNTERED A GUST OF WIND DURING THE LANDING FLARE. THE PIC LOST CONTROL AS ONE MAIN LANDING GEAR IMPACTED THE GROUND ABRUPTLY AND HIS HEAD HIT THE SIDE OF THE CANOPY. THE ACFT VEERED OFF THE SIDE OF THE RWY INTO TALL GRASS AND SOFT TERRAIN. THE PIC WAS UNABLE TO STEER THE ACFT BACK ONTO THE RWY AND EXECUTE A GO-AROUND. THE ACFT SUBSEQUENTLY IMPACTED INTO A DITCH WHICH WAS OBSCURED BY THE TALL GRASS AND FLIPPED INVERTED.
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: 134 hours in all; 71 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 60 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 1, 1986; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Siloam Springs AR at 12:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 2,600 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:48 pm from UIN, 35 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.