Beech B200 incident near Chesterfield, Missouri, December 13, 1982
On December 13, 1982 at about 6:22 pm local time, a Beech B200, registered N6338T, suffered minor damage in an incident near Chesterfield, Missouri (Spirit Of St. Louis airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were 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
- December 13, 1982 · about 6:22 pm local time
- Place
- Chesterfield, Missouri · Spirit Of St. Louis
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech B200 · all B200s on the register
- Registration
- N6338T · no longer on the register · serial BB 1042
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
UPON ARRIVAL OVER CHICAGO, IL, THE CREW DISCOVERED THAT THE LANDING GEAR WOULD NOT EXTEND. AFTER NUMEROUS UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS TO LOWER THE GEAR, THE CREW ELECTED TO RETURN TO THEIR HOME BASE AIRPORT AND MAKE A GEAR UP LANDING. THE LANDING WAS SUCCESSFUL AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT A LOCKING NUT HAD BACKED OFF A TAPERED PIN AT THE INBOARD UNIVERSAL JOINT IN THE LEFT MAIN GEAR EXTENSION/RETRACTION TORQUE TUBE. THIS ALLOWED THE TAPERED PIN TO BACK OUT, DISCONNECTING THE TORQUE TUBE FROM THE GEAR DRIVE MOTOR. NO EVIDENCE OF FACTORY TORQUE STRIPPING WAS FOUND ON THE NUT.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,900 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 5,800 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 222 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 15
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P & W PT6A42 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: La Barge, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SUS Chesterfield MO at 8:00 am
- Destination: CGX Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 25, 6,008 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 104°F (40°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:28 pm from STL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.