Mooney M20J accident near Cahokia, Illinois, November 4, 1998
On November 4, 1998 at about 4:43 pm local time, a Mooney M20J, registered N1073K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cahokia, Illinois (St. Louis Downtown Parks airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 directional control of the airplane during the landing roll. Factors associated with the accident were the quartering tailwind and the ditch that the airplane contacted.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 4, 1998 · about 4:43 pm local time
- Place
- Cahokia, Illinois · St. Louis Downtown Parks · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20J · all M20Js on the register
- Registration
- N1073K · no longer on the register · serial 24-3145
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The landing was being made on runway 30L with a right quartering tailwind of 10 to 13 knots. The airplane traveled off the left side of the runway during the landing roll. The pilot added power in an attempt to fly over a ditch; however, the airplane contacted the far side of the ditch approximately two feet from the top.
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: 245 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 98 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,565 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 29, 1998; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,740 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CPS at 3:55 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30L, 6,997 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:52 pm from CPS
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.