- Date
- January 31, 1994, 16:32 local (22:32 UTC)
- Place
- Chesterfield, MO
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N810BPCessna 210L
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 18, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940131001249A
- Case key
- 9461
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot-in-command's poorly planned approach. A factor in the accident was the loss of engine power for an undetermined reason.
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 passenger/owner aboard the airplane reported the engine lost all power while on final approach to landing. He said the PIC switched fuel tanks and pumped the throttle in an unsuccessful attempt to restart the engine. The engine was removed from the airplane and placed on a test stand where it started and ran without any observed anomalies. The airplane struck terrain approximately 700' short of the 7,000' runway.
Factual narrative
On January 31, 1994, at 1632 central standard time, a Cessna model 210 airplane, N810BP, sustained substantial damage following a reported loss of engine power while on final approach to runway 26L at Spirit of Saint Louis Airport, Chesterfield, Missouri. The airplane landed in a field approximately 700' short of the 7,000' long runway and nosed over. The private pilot/owner received minor injury; the other occupant, the pilot in command and Certificated Flight Instructor(CFI), received serious injuries. The local flight operated without a flight plan in visual meteorological conditions under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the owner's statement, the airplane lost total engine power while on final approach to land. In an attempt to restart the engine, the CFI switched to the left fuel tank, and pumped the throttle, but the engine would not restart.
Postaccident inspection of the airplane was unable to determine what amount of fuel was aboard at the time of the accident due to leakage and rupture of the right tank. The owner reported 90 gallons of fuel was aboard when the airplane departed for the three and one-half hour flight.
The engine was removed from the airplane and mounted on a test stand for running. In preparation for the test run, substitute fuel and oil lines were utilized. The engine started and ran without any observed anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N810BP
- Reported as
- Cessna 210L
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 21061365
- Airframe hours
- 4,094
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-L-3A, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John L. Golden
- Registered owner
- John L. Golden
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 22, 1994 · 5 hours before
- Airport
- SUS · Spirit Of St. Louis, runway 26L, 7,000 × 150 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
- 43
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,970 total · 130 in this make and model · 5,925 as pilot in command · 85 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 19 °F, dew point 3 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SUS, 1 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.