Piper PA-32-260 accident near St. Clair, Missouri, April 8, 1995
On April 8, 1995 at about 9:29 pm local time, a Piper PA-32-260, registered N3631W, was destroyed in an accident near St. Clair, Missouri (St. Clair Regional airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's impairment of judgment and performance due to drugs which led to his operating the airplane with a known mechanical deficiency.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 8, 1995 · about 9:29 pm local time
- Place
- St. Clair, Missouri · St. Clair Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-32-260 · all PA-32-260s on the register
- Registration
- N3631W · no longer on the register · serial 32-533
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER AN ABORTED TAKEOFF DUE TO POOR ACCELERATION, THE PILOT DROPPED OFF HIS PASSENGERS. ONE PASSENGER, A PILOT, TOLD HIM TO HAVE A MECHANIC LOOK AT THE AIRPLANE BEFORE HE FLEW IT AGAIN. THE PILOT SAID YES AND PROCEEDED TO TAKEOFF. THE DEPLANED PILOT SAID THE AIRPLANE CLIMBED TO ABOUT 15 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY, DESCENDED ABOUT 10 FEET, BEGAN A LEFT TURN, AND DRAGGED ITS WINGTIP IN THE DIRT. THE LEFT WING'S FUEL TANK AREA RUPTURED. THE AIRPLANE THEN COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND, SPINNING AROUND AND COMING TO A STOP ENGULFED IN FLAMES. AN EXAMINATION OF THE FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM AND PROPELLER REVEALED NO MECHANICAL ANOMALIES. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED MECHANICAL CONTINUITY THROUGHOUT. HOWEVER, ENGINE CYLINDERS NUMBER 5 AND 6 HAD THEIR RESPECTIVE CAMSHAFT LOBES WORN DOWN SO THAT THEIR VALVES WOULD ONLY OPEN ABOUT 30 PERCENT OF THE MANUFACTURER'S PRESCRIBED DISTANCES. THE FAA'S CIVIL AERO MEDICAL INSTITUTE (CAMI) TOXICOLOGY REPORT SHOWED HIGH LEVELS OF PRESCIPTION NARCOTIC PAINKILLERS IN THE PILOT'S BLOOD AND LIVER FLUIDS. REVIEW OF THE PILOT'S RECORDS FROM CAMI REVEALED A HISTORY OF CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE WITH ANGIOPLASTY PERFORMED 8/10/94, AND A HISTORY OF LOW BACK BACK PAIN FOR WHICH HE WAS PRESCRIBED LARGE AMOUNTS OF NARCOTIC PAINKILLERS. HE HAD NOT BEEN ISSUED A CURRENT MEDICAL CERTIFICATE.
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
- Flight time: 680 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 14, 1995
- Maximum gross weight: 3,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4B5 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2, 3,200 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:52 pm from SUS, 23 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.