- Date
- April 14, 1989, 15:50 local (20:50 UTC)
- Place
- Oak Grove, MO
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N23227Piper J-3
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890414010309A
- Case key
- 34676
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
The pilot's attempt to takeoff with the aircraft over its allowable takeoff weight and out of the center of gravity limits.
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 landed at a unidirectional strip that required landings to the south & takeoffs to the north (due to a hill near the south end of the strip). Later, he initiated a takeoff to the north with a passenger aboard. Subsequently, the acft impacted trees on the right side of the 1320' grass stip & crashed. The plt & passenger weighed 230 & 190 lbs,respectively. Weight & balance info indcd that any fuel in excess of aprx 4 gal would have placed the acft over the allowable takeoff wt & the acft's CG well aft of the allowable limit. The acft had been modified by shortening the wings, adding an adnl fuel tank to each wing, & replacing the Continental C-65 eng with a Continental O-200-A eng. About 23 mi wsw at richards-gebaur arpt, the wind was from 190 deg at 8 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N23227
- Reported as
- Piper J-3
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 3041
- Engine
- Continental O-200-A, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Riley, Charles
- Registered owner
- Karr, Jerry
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- MO
- Airport
- Private, runway 36, 1,320 × ft, grass/turf
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
- 53
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Expired
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 265 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GVW, 23 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.