Oct. 16, Hillsboro, Mo. / Cessna 335

At 19:33 central time, a Cessna 335 carrying Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan crashed near Hillsboro. The governor, also a candidate for U.S. Senate, was killed, along with the pilot and another passenger. The flight had departed Cahokia, Ill., at 19:15 CDT on an IFR flight to New Madrid, Mo. The pilot told controllers he was having problems with the primary attitude indicator and he requested a climb to a higher altitude. The pilot was issued a climb to 4,000 feet. The pilot then reported that the primary attitude indicator was not reading properly and he was trying to fly off of the copilots. The pilot then stated he wanted to divert to Jefferson City, where the weather was better. The airpla...

Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan, a U.S. Senate candidate, was killed along with the pilot and another passenger when their Cessna 335 crashed near Hillsboro.
  • Prior to the crash, the pilot reported problems with the primary attitude indicator and was attempting to divert to Jefferson City when the accident occurred.
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At 19:33 central time, a Cessna 335 carrying Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan crashed near Hillsboro. The governor, also a candidate for U.S. Senate, was killed, along with the pilot and another passenger. The flight had departed Cahokia, Ill., at 19:15 CDT on an IFR flight to New Madrid, Mo. The pilot told controllers he was having problems with the primary attitude indicator and he requested a climb to a higher altitude. The pilot was issued a climb to 4,000 feet. The pilot then reported that the primary attitude indicator was not reading properly and he was trying to fly off of the copilots. The pilot then stated he wanted to divert to Jefferson City, where the weather was better. The airplane was in the process of diverting when the accident occurred. The last radar contact with the airplane was at 19:31:55 at an altitude of 3,900 feet above mean sea level.

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