Piper PA-38-112 accident near Liberty, Missouri, July 29, 1989
On July 29, 1989 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-38-112, registered N4278E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Liberty, Missouri (Liberty Landing airport). It was an instructional 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
CONTROL INTERFERENCE BY THE DUAL STUDENT AS THE INSTRUCTOR TRIED TO RECOVER FROM THE STUDENT'S BOUNCED LANDING, AND FAILURE TO MAINTAIN PROPER RUNWAY ALIGNMENT. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS WERE: IMPROPER FLARE BY THE STUDENT, THE CROSSWIND, THE STUDENT'S APPREHENSION DURING THE BOUNCED LANDING, AND THE CROP BESIDE THE RUNWAY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 29, 1989 · about 5:00 pm local time · cases in 1989
- Place
- Liberty, Missouri · Liberty Landing · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-38-112 · all PA-38-112s on the register
- Registration
- N4278E · registry record · serial 38-78A0525
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT & INSTRUCTOR (CFI) ELECTED TO VISIT AN ARPT WITH A NARROW RWY WHERE SMALL ACFT WERE BUILT & FLOWN. THE 1ST APCH WAS NOT TO THE CFI'S SATISFACTION, SO A GO-AROUND WAS MADE. THE 2ND APCH WAS GOOD, BUT DRG THE LNDG, THE STUDENT 'FROZE' AT THE CONTROLS & THE CFI WAS UNABLE TO RELEASE THE STUDENT'S GRASP. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT BOUNCED, THEN IT WENT INTO A BORDERING CORN FIELD & WAS DAMAGED. THE CFI SAID HE REPEATEDLY TOLD THE STUDENT TO 'LET GO,' BUT THE STUDENT CONTINUED TO STAY ON THE CONTROLS.
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 single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,836 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 344 in the last 90 days; 134 in the last 30 days; 1,807 as pilot in command; 655 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,670 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MO10 Liberty MO at 4:30 pm
- Destination: 4MO4
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 1,850 ft by 36 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 30,000 ft; scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from MCI, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4278E on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-38 Tomahawk 442 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-L2C 84 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Airevac Elevated Heliport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Missouri 1,640 since 1982 · 219 in the last ten years
- Missouri 5,819 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/MKC89LA171.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.