Cessna 140 accident near St. Joseph, Missouri, August 4, 1998
On August 4, 1998 at about 10:24 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N2364V, was destroyed in an accident near St. Joseph, Missouri (Rosecrans Mem. Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot not maintaining a proper final approach glide path to avoid an encounter with wake turbulence. A factor in this accident was the pilot not being able to control the airplane after its encounter with wake turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 4, 1998 · about 10:24 pm local time
- Place
- St. Joseph, Missouri · Rosecrans Mem. Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N2364V · no longer on the register · serial 14600
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the accident airplane was advised that wake turbulence would be present during his approach to a runway whose approach end was colocated with another runway. The pilot was approaching runway 35 while Lockheed C-130's were using runway 31. Witnesses reported seeing the accident airplane approach runway 35 at a '...very low altitude... .' According to the witnesses, the airplane banked '...sharply to the left about 35 degrees and [then] very rapidly to the right over 90 degrees right bank.' They said the airplane's right wingtip was about 20 feet above the ground when it was in the 90 degree bank. They said that when the bank exceeded 90 degrees' the '...nose dropped rapidly and the aircraft impacted the ground.' Another witness said he observed a C-130 land on runway 31 about 10 seconds before the accident airplane was approaching runway 35's threshold. The on-scene examination revealed the accident airplane's rudder throw was 23 degrees to the right and 15 degrees to the left. The pilot had been flying the Cessna 140 for about 11-1/2 years. The pilot had successfully completed his flight review on March 3, 1997, in a Cessna 210. At that time his logbook showed 251.0 hours in the accident airplane. There were no records showing any flight time after the flight review.
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: 604 hours in all; 249 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,780 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 22, 1998
- Maximum gross weight: 1,450 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental C-90 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DBQ Dubuque IA
- Destination: STJ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 8,069 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from STJ, 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.