Mooney M20J accident near Chesterfield, Missouri, August 9, 2007
On August 9, 2007 at about 1:30 am local time, a Mooney M20J, registered N201LE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chesterfield, Missouri (Spirit Of St Louis 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 failed to maintain directional control while taxiing after landing. A factor was the runway sign.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 2007 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Chesterfield, Missouri · Spirit Of St Louis Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J · all M20Js on the register
- Registration
- N201LE · registry record · serial 24-0480
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane departed a taxiway and struck an airport sign. The pilot reported that he was anxious to clear the runway after landing on runway 26L since he knew that another airplane was behind him for landing. He exited the runway at the first available taxiway. He reported that he thought the taxiway intersected the runway at a 90-degree angle, but it actually was a high-speed taxiway for landing aircraft from the opposite direction on runway 8R. He reported that the airplane departed the taxiway and struck the airport sign.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 913 hours in all; 262 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A3B6D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LUK Cincinnati OH at 11:00 pm
- Destination: SUS Chesterfield 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.