On April 15, 1985, a Beech A-36 (registration N7244S) was involved in an aviation accident near Gray Summit, MO. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
An aircraft departing St. Clair Airport crashed into forested terrain 8.5 miles northeast. Radar showed normal climb. Pilot had Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome with arrhythmias. No mechanical issues found.
Incident Overview
An aircraft departed from St. Clair Airport, establishing a normal climb en route to a destination airport 24 miles to the northeast. The aircraft was tracked by radar for a four-minute period, during which it showed a normal climb to level flight. The radar image was lost at a town approximately 8.5 miles northeast of the departure airport.
Crash Site
The aircraft was found impacted through a small, peninsula-shaped area of forestation. This area was bounded by a rather large area of open, slightly rolling but level terrain. The area bounding the crash site was of sufficient length and width to accommodate this aircraft for a landing.
Investigation Findings
No mechanical abnormality was discovered during the post-crash investigation. The pilot was medically documented as having Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome with documented arrhythmias. This condition can have periods of loss of consciousness. The pilot was taking no medication for this condition.