Cessna 140 accident near Creve Coeur, Missouri, April 1, 1987
On April 1, 1987 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Cessna 140, registered N89316, was substantially damaged in an accident near Creve Coeur, Missouri (Creve Coeur airport). It was a personal 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
- April 1, 1987 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Creve Coeur, Missouri · Creve Coeur · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 140 · all 140s on the register
- Registration
- N89316 · registry record · serial 8344
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PIC WAS PRACTICING LANDINGS IN GUSTY CROSSWIND CONDITIONS. PIC LANDED LONG, AND AFTER ROLLING A SHORT DISTANCE, PERCEIVED THAT THE WIND DIRECTION HAD CHANGED. THE PIC STATED THAT THIS NEW WIND DIRECTION WAS NOW MORE OF A TAILWIND. THE PIC DID NOT SELECT A GO-AROUND AND MAINTAINED DIRECTIONAL CONTROL UNTIL RUNNING OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED SOFT TERRAIN AND NOSED OVER INVERTED. WEATHER OBSERVATION FROM A NEARBY FSS RECORDED NO WIND CHANGENEAR THE TIME OF 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
- Flight time: 286 hours in all; 73 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 7 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,144 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 18, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental 85-12F (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1HO Creve Coeur MO at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 2,825 ft by 160 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 15 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from SUS, 8 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.
Other NTSB records under N89316 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.