- Date
- February 15, 1982, 22:03 local (Feb 16, 1982, 04:03 UTC)
- Place
- East Saint Loui, IL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7511LPiper PA-31-310
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report February 15, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820215004229A
- Case key
- 70544
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The aircrew did not key the approach lights on during the first ILS approach at night. Therefore, a missed approach was made. On the second approach, the lead-in lights were visible from over one mile. However, the visibility was much worse at touchdown, which was on the left side of the runway. The left main gear encountered snow at the edge of the runway and the aircraft swerved left into a snowbank. The snowbanks were about 4 feet high and were located approximately 10 feet outside of the runway lights. The pilot reported that there were no NOTAMS concerning the snowbanks. The 2221 CST weather observation at st. louis was taken about 15 miles away and indicated visual meteorological conditions. However, the pilot reported the visibility was variable between 1/2 and 3 miles.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7511L
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-310
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31837
- Airframe hours
- 5,478
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-A2C, 310 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Ira D. Farrington
- Registered owner
- Ira D. Farrington
- Departed
- CPS · Paducah, KY
- Destination
- East Saint Loui, IL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- CPS · Bi-State Parks, runway 30, 5,499 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 52
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 15,000 total · 400 in this make and model · 9,999 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 110° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,600 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 100 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- STL, 15 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N7511L · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.