Mooney M20E accident near Chesterfield, Missouri, August 28, 1984
On August 28, 1984 at about 11:35 pm local time, a Mooney M20E, registered N9373M, was destroyed in an accident near Chesterfield, Missouri (Spirit Of St. Louis airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt. 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
- August 28, 1984 · about 11:35 pm local time
- Place
- Chesterfield, Missouri · Spirit Of St. Louis · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E · all M20Es on the register
- Registration
- N9373M · registry record · serial 1305
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT CRASHED SHORT OF THE RWY AFTER MAKING A 180 DEG TURN AFTER TAKEOFF FOLLOWING A LOSS OF POWER. THE PLT STATED THAT AFTER TAKEOFF & AT AN INDICATED AIRSPEED OF 100 TO 110 MPH, AT AN ALTITUDE OF 50 FT, THE ACFT ENG STARTED TO LOSE POWER. HE DECIDED TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT AND THE ACFT STARTED TO STALL WHILE IN THE TURN CRASHING INTOAN OPEN DITCH NEAR THE END OF THE RWY. INVESTIGATION SHOWED A DISCREPANCY OF THE FUEL NOZZLES IN THE NO. 4 CYLINDER WHICH WERE FOUND BLOCKED. THE SERVO FUEL INJECTOR HAD WATER IN THE FUEL CHAMBER & THE FUEL LINE FROM THE FUEL STRAINER TO FUEL CONTROL HAD WASTER MIXED WITH GASOLINE. THE PROPELLER WAS REMOVED & CHECKED NORMAL.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 691 hours in all; 622 in this make and model; 622 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,166 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 11, 1984; 99 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SUS Chesterfield MO at 11:30 pm
- Destination: DEC Decatur IL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:49 pm from SUS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.