Beech E18S incident near Fenton, Missouri, July 21, 1982
On July 21, 1982 at about 3:00 am local time, a Beech E18S, registered N3606B, suffered minor damage in an incident near Fenton, Missouri (Weiss airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 1982 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Fenton, Missouri · Weiss · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech E18S · all E18Ss on the register
- Registration
- N3606B · no longer on the register · serial BA-3
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE LANDING GEAR WAS REPORTEDLY DOWN AND LOCKED PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN. A WITNESS SAID THE GEAR WAS DOWN PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN BUT COLLAPSED IMMEDIATELY AFTER TOUCHDOWN. BROKEN WIRES ON THE LANDING GEAR SQUAT SWITCH HAD DISABLED THE LDG GEAR RETRACTION SYSTEM. A SMALL POSTCRASH ENGINE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED BY FIRE DEPT PERSONNEL.
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: 1,940 hours in all; 340 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 1,660 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,810 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R-985-AN14B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Executive Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Detroit MI at 7:00 pm
- Destination: Fenton MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 3,040 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 185°F (85°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.