Piper PA-18A accident near Creve Coeur, Missouri, May 20, 1990
On May 20, 1990 at about 1:00 am local time, a Piper PA-18A, registered N9071D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Creve Coeur, Missouri (Creve Coeur 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FUEL CONTAMINATION AND INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 20, 1990 · about 1:00 am 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
- Piper PA-18A · all PA-18As on the register
- Registration
- N9071D · registry record · serial 6437
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE COMMERCIAL PLT SAID THAT HE HAD JUST COMPLETED A BANNER DROP, THEN RE-ENTERED DOWNWIND LEG, AT ABOUT 40 FEET AGL. DURING THE TURN FROM DOWNWIND TO BASE, HE SWITCHED FUEL TANKS WHICH, SHORTLY AFTER, RESULTED IN A LOSS OF POWER. AN EMERGENCY LDG WAS ATTEMPTED IN A TALL WHEAT FIELD, WHERE THE ACFT NOSED OVER, SUSTAINING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE FUEL SYSTEM TO BE CONTAMINATED WITH WATER. THE PLT SAID THAT HE DID NOT DRAIN THE FUEL SUMPS PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command; 20,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,650 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-A2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: 1H0
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 3,900 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N9071D the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MKC90LA113.