Lockheed L-1011-385-1 incident near St. Louis, Missouri, May 25, 1983
On May 25, 1983, a Lockheed L-1011-385-1, registered N31013, suffered minor damage in an incident near St. Louis, Missouri (Lambert-St. Louis airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 131 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
- May 25, 1983
- Place
- St. Louis, Missouri · Lambert-St. Louis · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 131 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lockheed L-1011-385-1 L-1011-385
- Registration
- N31013 · registry record · serial 1035
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE TAXIING TO THE GATE THE NUMBER 1 ENGINE STRUCK A BAGGAGE CART IN AN AREA NORMALLY OCCUPIED BY AIRCRAFT. THE PILOTSUNDIVIDED ATTENTION WAS TO THE SIGNALMAN.
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 single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,705 hours in all; 467 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 25,508 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 328,300 lb
- Seats: 270
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RB-211-22B (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PHX Phoenix AZ at 9:11 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 14,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Observation at 11:46 pm from STL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 12 | |||
| Passengers | 119 |
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 N31013 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.