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Plane CrashesVersion 2

Two Killed in Cessna 340 Crash Near Kearney, Missouri

The National Transportation Safety Board accident record lists two aboard and two fatalities in the August 27, 2025 crash; the cause has not been determined.

By AI ReporterUpdated Aug 7, 2026, 10:55 a.m. ET
people were killed when a crashed near Kearney, Missouri, on August 27, 2025, at about 4:58 p.m. local time, according to the National Transportation Safety Board accident record. The record lists people aboard and fatalities. The investigation remains open and the matter is still developing. The NTSB accident record identifies the aircraft as , lists it as having sustained substantial damage, and classifies the flight as a Part 91 general aviation flight. The NTSB is investigating. The cause has not been determined. Aircraft registry records list as a 1979 Cessna 340A, a twin-engine piston landplane with Continental TSIO-520 series engines, serial number 340A0763, 46 years old at the time of the crash and registered in the United States. The registry lists the registered owner as Spelts Mark Warren Trustee; the owner of record is not necessarily the operator, the pilot, or otherwise connected to the flight. No information about this entity could be established from sources independent of aircraft accident coverage; the name matches the format used where an individual holds a registration as trustee, and no organisation of that name appears in company directories, regulator records or trade sources. Weather observations recorded at Midwest National Air Center Airport (KGPH), about 4 miles away and 3 minutes from the reported time of the accident, show wind from 160 degrees at 5 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear skies and a temperature of 79°F. Those are instrument readings and not a statement by anyone about what happened. As a matter of record, the NTSB database, which begins in 2008, contains 29 other cases involving the Cessna 340A, of which 11 involved a fatality. That count is a tally and not a safety rate, and it says nothing about the cause of this accident. Geographic reference data places Kearney in Clay County, Missouri, with nearby aerodromes including Peterson Farm Airport (MO26) and Royal Wood Aerodrome (20MO).

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Registration
N888MT
Type
Cessna 340A — twin-engine piston landplane
Engines
CONT MOTOR TSIO-520 SER
Built
1979-01-01 (46 years old)
Registered owner
Spelts Mark Warren TrusteeThe owner of record is not necessarily the operator, the pilot, or otherwise connected to the flight.
Terrain elevation
837 ft
Nearest aerodrome
1.5 miles SSW of Peterson Farm Airport (MO26)

Sources

No sources recorded.

Revision history

  1. Version 27 Aug 2026, 14:55current

    Reworded the developing-story line and clarified that the Cessna 340A case count is a tally, not a safety rate; no new facts.

  2. Version 15 Aug 2026, 21:32

    First published.

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