Saab-Fairchild SF340 incident near St. Louis, Missouri, February 5, 1986
On February 5, 1986 at about 4:52 pm local time, a Saab-Fairchild SF340, registered N342AM, was involved in an incident near St. Louis, Missouri. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 12 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
- February 5, 1986 · about 4:52 pm local time
- Place
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 12 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Saab-Fairchild SF340
- Registration
- N342AM · no longer on the register · serial 011
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON INITIAL CLIMBOUT FM LAMBERT FIELD, ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, THE CONTROL TOWER AT LAMBERT RPTD TO THE PIC OF FLT 1163 THAT ONE OF THE MAIN LANDING GEAR WHEELS HAD FALLEN OFF THE ACFT. THE ACFT WAS RETURNED AND LANDED SAFELY. INITIAL INSPECTION REVEALED WHAT APPEARED TO BE A BEARING FAILURE AND SUBSEQUENT DEPARTURE OF THE RIGHT OUTBOARD WHEEL ASSY. NO ADDITIONAL INSPECTION BY THE MANUFACTURER WAS ATTEMPTED DUE TO THE LACK OF FAILED BEARING MATERIAL FROM THE MAIN LANDING GEAR WHEEL ASSEMBLY.
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: 15,740 hours in all; 675 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,984 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 4, 1986; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 27,000 lb
- Seats: 30
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CT7-5A2 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Midwest
The flight
- Departed from: STL St. Louis MO at 3:50 pm
- Destination: JIN Joplin MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,200 ft; clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:45 pm from STL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 9 |
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 N342AM 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.