Rockwell NA-265-65 incident near St. Louis, Missouri, April 20, 1982
On April 20, 1982 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Rockwell NA-265-65, registered N2N, suffered minor damage in an incident near St. Louis, Missouri (Lambert-St. Louis Intl airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91, subpart F). 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 20, 1982 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- St. Louis, Missouri · Lambert-St. Louis Intl
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rockwell NA-265-65
- Registration
- N2N · registry record · serial 465 63
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91, subpart F)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ENROUTE FROM GRAND ISLAND, NE TO NASHVILLE, TN, THE PILOT NOTICED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WOULD NOT TRIM NOSE DOWN, BUT THAT IT WOULD TRIM NOSE UP NORMALLY. THE PILOT REDUCED SPEED AND ALTITUDE AND DIVERTED TO ST. LOUIS, MO IN ORDER TO HAVE THE PROBLEM REPAIRED. ON SHORT FINAL TO RUNWAY 30R, THE AIRCRAFT PITCHED DOWN VIOLENTLY. THE PILOT STATED THAT BOTH PILOTS WERE REQUIRED ON THE ELEVATOR TO EFFECT RECOVERY FROM THE PITCHOVER. ONCE RECOVERED, THE APPROACH WAS CONTINUED TO A NORMAL LANDING. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT ONE OF 4 ELECTRICAL TRAVEL LIMIT SWITCHES HAD A LOOSE CONNECTION WHICH WOULD ALLOW THE ACTUATOR TO DRIVE TO THE MECHANICAL STOP. AFTER NUMEROUS CYCLES, THE ACTUATOR SLEEVE/DUST COVER WOULD CRACK ALLOWING THE ROD ENDS TO DISCENGAGE FROM THE ACTUATOR. IT WAS ALSO DETERMINED THAT WITH THE MECHANICAL FLEXIBLE SHAFT INTERCONNECT BETWEEN THE TWO ACTUATORS A FAILURE OF ONE ELECTRICAL LIMIT SWITCH WOULD PERMIT BOTH ACTUATORS TO BE DRIVEN TO THEIR MECHANICAL LIMITS.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,871 hours in all; 950 in this make and model; 83 in the last 90 days; 5,040 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 507 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 24,000 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Airesearch TFE731-3R-1D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Natural Gas Pipeline CO. Of Am
The flight
- Departed from: Grand Island NE at 3:30 pm
- Destination: Nashville TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 131°F (55°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 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.
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 MKC82IA059.