Cessna 401 accident near St. Louis, Missouri, March 6, 1991
On March 6, 1991 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Cessna 401, registered N401RW, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Louis, Missouri (Lambert airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE LANDING GEAR LOCKING MECHANISM (BELL CRANK) HAD FRACTURED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 6, 1991 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- St. Louis, Missouri · Lambert · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 401 · all 401s on the register
- Registration
- N401RW · no longer on the register · serial 401-118
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT SAID THAT DURING THE LANDING ROLL OUT, THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO SWERVE TO THE LEFT. HE APPLIED CORRECTIVE MEASURES BUT THE LEFT WING CONTINUED TO DROP AND CONTACTED THE TERRAIN PROIR TO THE AIRCRAFT BEING STOPPED. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED A BROKEN BELL CRANK ASSEMBLY IN THE LANDING GEAR, WHICH ALLOWED THE PREMATURE RETRACTION.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,743 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 85 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days; 3,467 as pilot in command; 2,505 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Redwing Airways, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: IRK Kirksville MO at 5:15 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24, 7,602 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,400 ft; not recorded at 2,400 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 6:10 pm from STL, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.