Beech 76 accident near St Charles, Missouri, April 26, 2019
On April 26, 2019 at about 5:35 pm local time, a 1980 Beech 76, registered N3733D, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near St Charles, Missouri (St Charles County Smartt 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot receiving instruction's failure to extend the landing gear. Contributing to the accident were the pilot receiving instruction's failure to complete the landing checklist and the flight instructor's inadequate monitoring of the pilot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 26, 2019 · about 5:35 pm local time
- Place
- St Charles, Missouri · St Charles County Smartt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 76 No Series, built 1980 · all 76s on the register
- Registration
- N3733D · registry record · serial ME-362
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that, during the instructional flight, the pilot receiving instruction was practicing an engine-out landing. The landing checklist was called, but due to "wind effects," the landing gear were not extended. The airplane touched down on the runway centerline with the landing gear retracted. The airplane slid left, exited the runway, and impacted a landing light. The lower fuselage longerons were substantially damaged.
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
What happened, in order
- Landing gear not configured during landing defining event
- Runway excursion during landing
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Student/instructed pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Student/instructed pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other person › Instructor/check pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 3,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming O&VO-360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming O&VO-360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Dury Aviation Services Inc
The flight
- Departed from: SET St Charles MO
- Destination: SET St Charles MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,000 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 17 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from KSET
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number GAA19CA231.