Cessna 150 incident near Chesterfield, Missouri, October 26, 1994
On October 26, 1994 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna 150, registered N7XC, was involved in an incident near Chesterfield, Missouri (Spirit Of St. Louis airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the cracked heater exhaust muffler which resulted from an improper repair. Factors were the physical impairment of the solo flight student as a result of her inadequate training concerning carbon monoxide hazards.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 26, 1994 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Chesterfield, Missouri · Spirit Of St. Louis · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 · all 150s on the register
- Registration
- N7XC · no longer on the register · serial 15078099
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT SOLO PILOT RETURNED FROM A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT COMPLAINING OF HEADACHE, NAUSEA, AND DIFFICULTY WALKING. THE PILOT STATED THAT SHE HAD SMELLED EXHAUST FUMES, WAS NOT TAUGHT OF A POTENTIAL CONNECTION BETWEEN EXHAUST SMELLS AND CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING, AND CONTINUED THE FLIGHT. MEDICAL TESTS REVEALED ELEVATED CARBON MONOXIDE, WHICH REQUIRED 5 1/2 HOURS OF 100% OXYGEN TO REDUCE TO NORMAL LEVELS. POST-FLIGHT INSPECTION REVEALED A CRACK IN THE REPAIRED MUFFLER WHICH HAD BEEN INSTALLED 18 HOURS EARLIER. THE PRIVATE PILOT PRACTICAL TEST STANDARDS REQUIRE THAT AN APPLICANT EXHIBIT KNOWLEDGE OF SYMPTOMS, EFFECTS, AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS FOR CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING.
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: student
- Flight time: 43 hours in all; 43 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,822 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, October 11, 1994; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Midwest Air Service, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SUS at 3:00 pm
- Destination: SUS
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- 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.
Other NTSB records under N7XC the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.