Amateur-built Nieuport accident near Creve Coeur, Missouri, September 28, 2002
On September 28, 2002 at about 4:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Nieuport, registered N678DJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Creve Coeur, Missouri (Creve Couer airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The installation of improper carburetor jets resulting in an improper fuel mixture and loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 2002 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Creve Coeur, Missouri · Creve Couer · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Nieuport
- Registration
- N678DJ · registry record · serial 735
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The left main landing gear collapsed during an off airport precautionary landing. The pilot reported that during the flight, the engine cylinder head temperature began to rise and the engine began to lose power. He reported that he did not have enough altitude to return to the airport so he elected to make a precautionary landing in a dirt field. The left main gear dug into the soft dirt during the landing and it collapsed. The airplane came to rest on its left wing and nose. The pilot reported that after the accident, he determined that the carburetor jets were not the proper size for the engine. He reported that this resulted in a lean mixture and the engine running hot.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,000 hours in all; 17 in this make and model
- Last flight review: August 2, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 600 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Volkswagen 2180cc (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1H0 Creve Coeur MO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from SUS, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.