- Date
- May 7, 1989, 11:34 local (16:34 UTC)
- Place
- West Plains, MO
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N1305Grigg/Bowers Flybaby
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890507015749A
- Case key
- 34652
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Improper preflight planning by the pilot and his failure to attain adequate airspeed, which resulted in a stall as he was attempting to avoid a power transmission line. Factors related to the accident were: rising terrain, tall grass, tailwind, and the transmission wires.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt had flown another acft from dike, IA to jonesboro, ar & had traded it for N1305, which he was flying back to dike. He had planned an intermediate stop at West Plains, MO. In the vicinity of West Plains, witnesses heard a popping sound from the eng. The plt landed in a fld of knee high grass near West Plains. After repairing a reported problem with a screw on the carburetor, the plt elected to fly the acft out of the field. He initiated a takeoff to the east on slightly rising terrain with a slight tail wind. After lift-off, the acft gained little altitude bfr rchg power lines & entered a sharp turn. It then pitched down & crashed. Witnesses reported the wind was gentle fm the west, but movement of treetops indcd a stronger wind aloft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1305
- Reported as
- Grigg/Bowers Flybaby
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 143
- Airframe hours
- 1,428
- Engine
- Continental C-85-12F, 85 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William L. Irwin
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 5, 1988 · 12 hours before
- Destination
- UNO · West Plains, MO
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 993 total · 920 in this make and model · 950 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SGF, 80 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.