Cessna 182P accident near Chesterfield, Missouri, April 11, 1994
On April 11, 1994 at about 11:03 am local time, a Cessna 182P, registered N9187M, was destroyed in an accident near Chesterfield, Missouri (Spirit Of St Louis airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO FOLLOW PROPER IFR PROCEDURES AND MAINTAIN PROPER ALTITUDE DURING THE APPROACH. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS, THE WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND FAILURE OF THE APPROACH CONTROLLER TO ISSUE AN IFR TRANSPONDER CODE TO THE AIRCRAFT WHEN HE PROVIDED THE IFR CLEARANCE, WHICH WOULD HAVE ALLOWED A LOW ALTITUDE ALERT TO BE TRIGGERED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 11, 1994 · about 11:03 am local time
- Place
- Chesterfield, Missouri · Spirit Of St Louis · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 182P · all 182Ps on the register
- Registration
- N9187M · registry record · serial 18264732
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
BEFORE FLIGHT, THE PILOT WAS TOLD THE ILS GLIDESLOPE FOR RUNWAY 8R AT THE DESTINATION (SUS) WAS OUT OF SERVICE. DURING A NIGHT ARRIVAL, THE APPROACH CONTROLLER (APCH CTLR) ASKED IF HE WANTED AN IFR CLEARANCE; HE SAID HE DID. THE CTLR PROVIDED VECTORS FOR AN ILS 8 RIGHT APCH, BUT CLEARED THE PILOT FOR THE APCH WITHOUT ADVISING THAT THE GLIDESLOPE WAS OUT OF SERVICE. ALSO, THE CTLR DID NOT ASSIGN AN IFR CODE, SO THE LOW ALTITUDE ALERT SYSTEM WAS NOT ACTIVATED. THE PILOT FLEW THRU THE LOCALIZER (LOC) COURSE, THEN SAID HE WAS NOT RECEIVING THE LOC. THE APCH CTLR ASKED THE TOWER IF THE LOC WAS OPERATIONAL & WAS TOLD 'IT WAS IN ALARM BUT THE LOCALIZER IS UP NOW.' THE PILOT WAS REVECTORED FOR THE APCH, THEN SAID HE WAS RECEIVING THE LOC. HE WAS CLEARED AGAIN FOR THE ILS. DURING THE APCH, N9187M DESCENDED BELOW THE LOC-ONLY MINIMUM DESCENT ALTITUDE (1020') & ILS DECISION HEIGHT (662'). SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRPLANE HIT TREES ON AN ISLAND IN A RIVER, 2.5 MI WEST OF THE AIRPORT. THE RIVER WAS BELOW THE AIRPORT ELEVATION OF 463'.
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: 678 hours in all; 377 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,246 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 30, 1994; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-470-R (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OK5 Jerseyville IL at 10:30 am
- Destination: SUS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8R, 7,005 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 090° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:14 am from SUS, 2 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.
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.