Cessna 172R accident near Chesterfield, Missouri, January 20, 1999
On January 20, 1999, a Cessna 172R, registered N4172P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chesterfield, Missouri (Spirit Of St. Louis airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the instructor pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. Factors contributing to this accident were the snow covered grassy field area along the side of the runway and the pile of snow.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 20, 1999
- Place
- Chesterfield, Missouri · Spirit Of St. Louis · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 172R · all 172Rs on the register
- Registration
- N4172P · registry record · serial 17280288
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instructor pilot said that he took control of the airplane approximately 200 feet prior to the taxiway and began applying brake pressure to slow down. As the airplane approached the taxiway, the instructor said that the airplane 'gradually deviated to the left of the runway centerline.' The instructor said that he applied right rudder pedal and then the right brake. There was no braking response. The instructor said that he 'applied full right brake' and found that 'the right brake had no response or pressure and could be applied to its full limit with no resistance felt.' The airplane's left main gear departed the edge of the runway and rolled into the snow. The airplane pivoted counter-clockwise until the nose gear contacted a 2 foot thick pile of snow. The airplane tipped forward and right onto the nose gear and right main landing gear causing the right wing to strike the ground. Examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 570 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 119 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 490 as pilot in command; 208 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 242 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 31, 1998; 59 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,450 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-22A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SUS at 9:27 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26R, 3,800 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N4172P 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.