Piper PA-32RT-300 accident near St. Charles, Missouri, April 8, 2005
On April 8, 2005 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Piper PA-32RT-300, registered N36691, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Charles, Missouri (Creve Coeur 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 in-flight planning/decision by his failure to switch fuel tanks which resulted in fuel starvation and the loss of engine power. A factor was the trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 8, 2005 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- St. Charles, Missouri · Creve Coeur Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32RT-300 · all PA-32RT-300s on the register
- Registration
- N36691 · no longer on the register · serial 32R-7885202
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane sustained substantial damage during a forced landing to a field after a loss of engine power. The pilot reported that the flight departed with about 36 gallons of fuel in the left tank and 14 gallons of fuel in the right tank. The pilot reported that the engine lost power about four miles from the intended destination airport. The airplane's altitude was 1,500 feet. The pilot executed a forced landing to the only open field in a suburban area. The inspection of the airplane revealed that the fuel selector was on the right fuel tank. The right fuel tank was empty and the left fuel tank was full. The inspection revealed that the airplane struck trees on its final approach to landing in the field.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 693 hours in all; 418 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1G5D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3V5 Versales MO at 9:00 pm
- Destination: 1H0 Creve Coeur MO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.