# Accident 19971231043439A: Beech 3533, St Louis, MO, December 31, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 31, 1997, 14:19 local time
- Place: St Louis, MO
- Airport: Spirit Of St Louis Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Forced Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.6494° N, 90.5308° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.6494&lon=-90.5308&mi=10
- Aircraft: N627V, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N627V-1998-04-06) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Beech 35-33 (registry code 1151402, https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-35-33) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BEECH 3533
- Reported engine: CONT IO470J
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 286 total, 86 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI98LA076](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98LA076) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19971231043439A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

CRASHED INTO CENTER MEDIAN OF HIGHWIND. FUEL SELECTOR FOUND IN OFF POSITION. (.4)THE AIRPLANE WAS HEADING WESTBOUND TOWARD SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS AIRPORT FOR LANDING.  SEVERAL WITNESSES SAW THE AIRPLANE IN THE AIR JUST BEFORE THE ACCIDENT.  ONE WITNESS SAID THAT THE ENGINE WAS NOT RUNNING, AND THE AIRPLANE WAS DESCENDING IN STEPS.  THE AIRPLANE TURNED SO THAT ITS WINGS WERE STRAIGHT UP AND DOWN.  THE AIRPLANE THEN ROLLED SO THAT THE WINGS WERE NO LONGER SIDEWAYS, BUT THE RIGHT WING WAS LOWER.  THE AIRPLANE THEN STRUCK THE GROUND.  ANOTHER WITNESS SAID THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS 'IN A VERY STEEP ANGLE.'  AS THE AIRPLANE CAME CLOSE TO THE GROUND, IT WAS IN A RIGHT BANK.  THEN ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, THE AIRPLANE STRUCK THE GROUND WITH ITS RIGHT WING AND RIGHT LANDING GEAR AT THE SAME TIME. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THE FUEL SELECTOR IN THE 'OFF' POSITION.  NO OTHER ANOMALIES WERE OBSERVED.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CHI98LA076](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI98LA076), Dec 31, 1997: Beech 35-33 (N627V), Chesterfield, MO, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to position the fuel selector to the proper fuel tank which led to fuel starvation.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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