Cessna 172 accident near Sweet Springs, Missouri, November 2, 1987
On November 2, 1987 at about 1:10 am local time, a Cessna 172, registered N46094, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sweet Springs, Missouri. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 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
- November 2, 1987 · about 1:10 am local time
- Place
- Sweet Springs, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172 · all 172s on the register
- Registration
- N46094 · no longer on the register · serial 17257039
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A NIGHT CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT AN EMERGENCY LDG WAS MADE DUE TO COMPLETE POWER FAILURE. PIC SAID HE FAILED TO VISUALLY CHECK FUEL SUPPLY BEFORE DEPARTURE, AND ALSO FAILED TO CHECK WINDS ALOFT, WHICH WERE QUARTERING HEADWINDS, OF TWENTY FIVE KNOTS. POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION REVEALED MINIMAL FUEL, AND NO MECHANICAL COMPONENT FAILURE.
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: 77 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days; 45 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,580 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 1, 1987; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hamilton Aviation INC.
The flight
- Departed from: BMG Bloomington IN at 10:00 pm
- Destination: 3GV Grain Valley MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 160° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.