Piper PA-28-151 accident near St. Louis, Missouri, May 2, 1990
On May 2, 1990 at about 4:48 pm local time, a Piper PA-28-151, registered N3986X, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Louis, Missouri (Spirit Of St. Louis airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE AND PROPER TOUCHDOWN POINT NOT ATTAINED BY THE PILOT IN COMMAND.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 2, 1990 · about 4:48 pm local time
- Place
- St. Louis, Missouri · Spirit Of St. Louis · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-151 · all PA-28-151s on the register
- Registration
- N3986X · registry record · serial 28-7515439
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE COMMERCIAL PLT HAD JUST DEPARTED FOR A LOCAL FLIGHT ON RUNWAY 8L, AND SHORTLY AFTER DEVELOPED ENGINE PROBLEMS WITH ROUGHNESS AND BACKFIRING. THE PLT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND WAS GIVEN PERMISSION TO MAKE A 180 DEGREE TURN AND LAND ON 26R. A DOWNWIND LANDING WAS ATTEMPTED THAT RESULTED IN AN OVERRAN AND SUBSEQUENT COLLISION WITH THE TERRAIN. PRIOR TO THIS FLIGHT THE SPARK PLUGS HAD BEEN SERVICED DUE TO ROUGHNESS, AND POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE PLUGS TO BE FOULED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,164 hours in all; 9 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,995 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 4, 1990; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,325 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E3D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: D & A Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: SUS at 4:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 3,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from SUS, 1 miles away
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.