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MKC89LA166

1989-07-23 · HANNIBAL, Missouri, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport HAE

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

FUEL STARVATION FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS WHICH RESULTED IN A FORCED LANDING AND SUBSEQUENT COLLISION WITH TREES.

Factual narrative

WHILE ON A VFR CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT, THE PILOT SAID HE ENCOUNTERED ADVERSE WEATHER AND RETURNED TO HANNIBAL, MISSOURI, TO LAND. ON DOWNWIND LEG, THE ENGINE QUIT, AND AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS ATTEMPTED. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH TREES ADJACENT TO THE AIRPORT AND WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION REVEALED THE FUEL LINES AND SUMPS TO BE EMPTY OF FUEL. NO MEASURABLE FUEL WAS FOUND IN THE FUEL TANKS AFTER THE CRASH; HOWEVER, EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO BOTH WINGS PRECLUDED ANY DETERMINATION OF QUANTITY OF FUEL REMAINING ON BOARD. REFUELING HAD BEEN ACCOMPLISHED AT THE PILOT'S LAST STOP, ABOUT 120 MILES AWAY. CAUSE OF THE FUEL STARVATION COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1989_MKC89LA166.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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