Convair 340 accident near St. Louis, Missouri, October 26, 1983
On October 26, 1983 at about 12:52 pm local time, a Convair 340, registered N30DR, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Louis, Missouri (Lambert-St. Louis airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 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 accident. 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
- October 26, 1983 · about 12:52 pm local time
- Place
- St. Louis, Missouri · Lambert-St. Louis · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Convair 340 · all 340s on the register
- Registration
- N30DR · registry record · serial 142
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE IN A CLIMB AFTER TAKEOFF, THE AIRCREW ENCOUNTERED AN ENG PROBLEM (WHICH WAS REPORTED AS DETONATION) & REQUESTED CLEARANCE TO RETURN TO THE DEPARTURE ARPT. THE FLT WAS VECTORED FOR A RIGHT TRAFFIC PATTERN TO RWY 24. THE PLT REPORTED HE WAS AT 2000 FT MSL & HAD FEATHERED THE #1 ENG AS HE TURNED ONTO BASE LEG. GROUND WITNESSES OBSERVED SMOKE TRAILING THE ACFT AS IT TURNED FROM BASE TO FINAL APCH. REPORTEDLY, THE #2 ENG LOST ALL POWER & THE AIRCREW WERE UNABLE TO REACH THE RWY. THE ACFT LANDED HARD ON THE ARPT, BUT APRX 1350 FT SHORT OF THE RWY. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE RIGHT PROP BLADES SLASHED INTO THE GRASS TURF, THE LEFT WING HIT 4 APCH LIGHTS, THEN THE ACFT CROSSED A GULLY & SUBSEQUENTLY, THE RIGHT GEAR COLLAPSED. A TEARDOWN OF THE #2 ENG REVEALED THAT ITS MASTER ROD HAD FAILED. BOTH OF THE FRACTURE SURFACES WERE COMPLETELY SMEARED, REMOVING EVIDENCE OF THE FRACTURE ORIGIN. THE #1 ENG WAS REMOVED & MOUNTED ONANOTHER ACFT & OPERATED NORMALLY.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,597 hours in all; 118 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 50,031 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 45,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W CB-16 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Combs Airways, INC.
The flight
- Destination: MKC Kansas City MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24, 7,600 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 14 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:47 am from STL
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.
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.