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Accidents · NTSB CEN18FA049 · Final report

Raytheon Aircraft Company B36TC accident near Chesterfield, Missouri, December 6, 2017

On December 6, 2017 at about 8:54 pm local time, a 2001 Raytheon Aircraft Company B36TC, registered N679EA, was destroyed in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Chesterfield, Missouri (Spirit Of St. Louis Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The pilot's improper fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
December 6, 2017 · about 8:54 pm local time
Place
Chesterfield, Missouri · Spirit Of St. Louis Airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was killed.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Raytheon Aircraft Company B36TC, built 2001
Registration
N679EA · no longer on the register · serial EA-679
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The private pilot was nearing the destination airport at the conclusion of an approximate 1,100 nautical mile cross-country flight; the accident occurred about 5 hours 26 minutes after takeoff. During the visual approach for landing, the pilot performed a constant left turn for about 3 minutes from the downwind leg to the final leg of the traffic pattern. About the time the pilot rolled out of the left turn and onto the final approach leg, he reported to the tower controller that he had an issue and was losing engine power. The airplane subsequently impacted a gas station pump canopy and parking lot about 1 mile from the end of the runway, where it was destroyed during a post-impact fire. Several witnesses near the accident location observed the airplane at a low altitude with the wings rocking back and forth, and they heard no engine noise. A postaccident examination of the airframe and a functional engine test revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The fuel selector was found on the left tank position. The total fuel quantity of fuel on board the airplane at takeoff and the quantity remaining in each fuel tank at the accident site could not be determined; however, the airplane would likely have been low on fuel as it neared the departure airport. It is likely that the pilot's extended left turn from downwind to final approach moved fuel away from the fuel tank pick up point, which resulted in fuel starvation and a total loss of engine power.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.

The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English

What happened, in order

  1. Fuel starvation during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
  2. Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent

The NTSB's findings

  • cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
  • cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
  • cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level

Pilot

  • Certificate: private
  • Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 4,620 hours in all
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: fatal

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 722.1 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection, June 3, 2017
  • Maximum gross weight: 3,850 lb
  • Seats: 6
  • Landing gear: retractable
  • Engine: Tcm TSIO-520-UB (piston); 787 hours total
  • Fire on the ground

The flight

  • Departed from: DVT Phoenix AZ at 3:26 pm
  • Destination: SUS St. Louis MO
  • Flight plan: IFR
  • Runway 26L, 7,485 ft by 150 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 280° at 13 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: a few clouds at 6,500 ft
  • Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
  • Observation at 8:54 pm from SUS, 1 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

17 documents, released by the NTSB on June 12, 2019. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.

The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.

Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.