Cessna 180K accident near St Charles, Missouri, March 8, 2003
On March 8, 2003 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Cessna 180K, registered N2732K, was substantially damaged in an accident near St Charles, Missouri (St Charles 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 pilot's inadequate compensation for wind and his failure to maintain directional control resulting in a ground loop. A factor was the crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 8, 2003 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- St Charles, Missouri · St Charles Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 180K · all 180Ks on the register
- Registration
- N2732K · registry record · serial 18053046
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was substantially damaged during a ground loop while landing. According to the pilot he had checked the weather 20 minutes before the accident and had estimated the crosswind at 9 knots. The pilot stated that during the landing roll the airplane passed a row of hangars. He reported that as the airplane passed the last hangar the left wing started to "float." The pilot attempted to apply corrective actions but was unable to do so. The airplane subsequently ground looped.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 230 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 158 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,849 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 22, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 2,810 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470U (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PVT Riddle MO at 4:45 pm
- Destination: 3SQ St Charles MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,451 ft by 49 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 11 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.79 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from KSTL, 9 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.
Other NTSB records under N2732K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.