Mooney M-20E accident near Chesterfield, Missouri, December 23, 1993
On December 23, 1993 at about 1:27 am local time, a Mooney M-20E, registered N1249X, was destroyed in an accident near Chesterfield, Missouri (Spirit Of St. Louis airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to assure an adequate fuel supply for the planned flight. Factors associated with the accident were the trees, unreliable fuel gauges and the pilot's decision to operate the airplane with the known unreliable fuel gauges.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 23, 1993 · about 1:27 am local time
- Place
- Chesterfield, Missouri · Spirit Of St. Louis · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M-20E · all M-20Es on the register
- Registration
- N1249X · no longer on the register · serial 122
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD PLANNED A FLIGHT FROM DALLAS, TX, TO WHEELING, IL, WITH AN INTENDED FUEL STOP IN BLOOMINGTON, IL. WHEN REACHING THE ST. LOUIS, MO, AREA, THE PILOT REQUESTED TO LAND AT A NEARBY AIRPORT. A TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER WAS EXPERIENCED WHEN 2 MILES FROM THE AIRPORT. THE AIRPLANE CONTACTED TREES AND CAME TO REST INVERTED. POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION REVEALED ONLY A SMALL AMOUNT OF RESIDUAL FUEL ON THE AIRPLANE. THE PILOT REPORTED KNOWING THAT THE FUEL QUANTITY GAUGE FOR THE RIGHT TANK WAS UNRELIABLE AND THAT THE LEFT TANK GAUGE INDICATED OVER ONE HALF TANK WHEN THE LOSS OF POWER OCCURRED.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,874 hours in all; 310 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,061 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 1993; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RBD Dallas TX at 9:28 pm
- Destination: BMI Bloomington IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; not recorded at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:34 am from SUS, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.