What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) The pilot and passenger had departed cassville, Missouri airport (94K) for a pleasure flight in the rocky comfort, Missouri area. They were flying over property owned by the passenger's father when the accident occurred. The father stated that the airplane flew over and the occupants waved to him and other members of the family. According to the father, the aircraft was proceeding in a southwesterly direction when it dropped from sight and he heard what sounded like a shotgun shell exploding. He immediately ran to the crash site, which was approximately 200 yards away. He stated that both occupants had suffered fatal injuries by the time he arrived. The aircraft had extensive damage from the engine compartment aft to the rear cockpit area, which was largely intact. The propeller was a wooden model, and both blades were completely missing from the hub out. Some splinters and shards of wood were found scattered around the crash site, and were determined to be propeller material by the varnished surfaces. Control continuity could not be established due to the damage to the aircraft. An emergency locator transmitter was not located in the wreckage. The engine separated from the firewall and was lying beside and to the right of the forward cockpit. The fuel tank had split open on impact and there was a strong smell of gasoline. There was no evidence of fire. The throttle and mixture were in the full forward position, the carburetor heat control was in the full cold position. The airspeed indicator and altimeter were found lying on the ground a few feet away from the main crash site and read 85 miles per hour and 1660 feet respectively.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) THE PILOT AND PASSENGER HAD DEPARTED CASSVILLE, MISSOURI AIRPORT (94K) FOR A PLEASURE FLIGHT IN THE ROCKY COMFORT, MISSOURI AREA. THEY WERE FLYING OVER PROPERTY OWNED BY THE PASSENGER'S FATHER WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE FATHER STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE FLEW OVER AND THE OCCUPANTS WAVED TO HIM AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY. ACCORDING TO THE FATHER, THE AIRCRAFT WAS PROCEEDING IN A SOUTHWESTERLY DIRECTION WHEN IT DROPPED FROM SIGHT AND HE HEARD WHAT SOUNDED LIKE A SHOTGUN SHELL EXPLODING. HE IMMEDIATELY RAN TO THE CRASH SITE, WHICH WAS APPROXIMATELY 200 YARDS AWAY. HE STATED THAT BOTH OCCUPANTS HAD SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES BY THE TIME HE ARRIVED. THE AIRCRAFT HAD EXTENSIVE DAMAGE FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AFT TO THE REAR COCKPIT AREA, WHICH WAS LARGELY INTACT. THE PROPELLER WAS A WOODEN MODEL, AND BOTH BLADES WERE COMPLETELY MISSING FROM THE HUB OUT. SOME SPLINTERS AND SHARDS OF WOOD WERE FOUND SCATTERED AROUND THE CRASH SITE, AND WERE DETERMINED TO BE PROPELLER MATERIAL BY THE VARNISHED SURFACES. CONTROL CONTINUITY COULD NOT BE ESTABLISHED DUE TO THE DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. AN EMERGENCY LOCATOR TRANSMITTER WAS NOT LOCATED IN THE WRECKAGE. THE ENGINE SEPARATED FROM THE FIREWALL AND WAS LYING BESIDE AND TO THE RIGHT OF THE FORWARD COCKPIT. THE FUEL TANK HAD SPLIT OPEN ON IMPACT AND THERE WAS A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FIRE.THE THROTTLE AND MIXTURE WERE IN THE FULL FORWARD POSITION, THE CARBURETOR HEAT CONTROL WAS IN THE FULL COLD POSITION. THE AIRSPEED INDICATOR AND ALTIMETER WERE FOUND LYING ON THE GROUND A FEW FEET AWAY FROM THE MAIN CRASH SITE AND READ 85 MILES PER HOUR AND 1660 FEET RESPECTIVELY.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.