Beech A36 accident near Chesterfield, Missouri, August 4, 1997
On August 4, 1997, a Beech A36, registered N4640M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chesterfield, Missouri (Spirit Of St Louis airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain proper alignment on the taxiway. Factors associated with the accident were the fence post, and the sunglare, which hindered the pilot's ability to see the fence post.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 1997
- Place
- Chesterfield, Missouri · Spirit Of St Louis · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A36 · all A36s on the register
- Registration
- N4640M · no longer on the register · serial E-1248
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During taxi after landing, the left wing of the airplane contacted a 6 inch diameter fence post at a position 4 feet inboard of the left wingtip. The post had been installed on a private taxiway as part of a gate to enclose a private hangar area. The post was located adjacent to the pavement as was another post on the other side of the taxiway. Clearance between the posts was 38 feet 5 inches. The airplane's wing span was 33 feet 6 inches. The pilot was unaware of the posts and was taxiing into the setting sun.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,580 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 2,556 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,890 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 4, 1996; 533 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-BB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: K15 Osage Beach MO at 11:30 pm
- Destination: SUS
- Flight plan: none
- 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 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.