Mooney M20E accident near St.Louis, Missouri, February 8, 1987
On February 8, 1987 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Mooney M20E, registered CFDRN, was substantially damaged in an accident near St.Louis, Missouri (St. Louis Intl airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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
- February 8, 1987 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- St.Louis, Missouri · St. Louis Intl
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mooney M20E · all M20Es on the register
- Registration
- CFDRN · no longer on the register · serial 106
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PIC WAS CLRD BY TWR TO LND RWY 30L. THE TWR ADVZD THE PIC THAT HIS GEAR WAS NOT EXTENDED. THE PIC RSPND WITH 'I KNOW THAT AND I HAVE LOST ENG PWR TOO'. THE ACFT SUBSEQUENTLY IMPACTED SHORT OF THE RWY. FAA MAINT INSP OF THE ACFT REVEALED NO FUEL IN THE TANKS. SUBSEQUENT INSP CONFIRMED NO FUEL IN THE SYSTEM. THE PIC DID NOT RESPOND TO REPEATED REQUESTS FOR FACTUAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE ACCIDENT.
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,267 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 16, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 2,575 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30L, 11,019 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 22 knots, gusting 29
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 16°F (-9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:16 pm from STL, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.