Aero Commander CALLAIR A9-B accident near Osgood, Missouri, July 31, 1987
On July 31, 1987 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Aero Commander CALLAIR A9-B, registered N7726V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Osgood, Missouri (Trenton airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 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
- July 31, 1987 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Osgood, Missouri · Trenton · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander CALLAIR A9-B CALLAIR A9 · all CALLAIR A9-Bs on the register
- Registration
- N7726V · no longer on the register · serial 1477
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN AERIAL APPLICATION OPERATION, PILOT EXPERIENCED PARTIAL POWER LOSS AND VIBRATION, FOLLOWED BY A LOUD EXPLOSIVE SOUND AND TOTAL LOSS OF POWER. AN EMERGENCY LDG WAS MADE FOLLOWED BY A NOSE OVER. POSTACCIDENT INSPECTION REVEALED THE ENTIRE PROPELLER ASSEMBLY, ONE CYLINDER, AND PART OF THE CRANKSHAFT WERE MISSING. THIS COMPLETE ASSEMBLY WAS FOUND ABOUT THREE MONTHS LATER, APPROXIMATELY ONE QUARTER MILE FROM THE ACCIDENT SCENE. MET LAB REPORT ON PORTION OF CRANKSHAFT THAT REMAINED WITH ACFT INDICATED NO UNUSUAL WEAR OR DAMAGE THAT MIGHT CAUSE ITS FAILURE. THE PIC STATED THAT AFTER THE EXPLOSION, WHICH BLEW THE FRONT HOPPER LOADING LID OFF, THE SPRAY MATERIAL COVERED THE WINDSHIELD MAKING VISIBILITY DIFFICULT.
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
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all; 82 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 4,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,000 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-G1C5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TRX Trenton MO at 9:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 4,300 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.