- Date
- January 9, 1984, 22:32 local (Jan 10, 1984, 04:32 UTC)
- Place
- St. Louis, MO
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- CGSCADouglas DC-3C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 33804
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
After landing, the plt-in-command (PIC) placed a refueling order to fill the acft's two 210 gal main tanks for a return flt to toronto, ontario, Canada. After the cargo was unloaded & the acft was refueled, the aircrew aborted the 1st 2 attempts to takeoff due to slow acft performance. Eng run-ups were performed after each abort & reportedly, the engs checked normal. After the 2nd aborted takeoff, the aircrew called the FBO & requested that the refueler be asked what type of fuel was added. The response was '100LL avgas.' On the 3rd attempt to depart, the acft took off, but both engs lost power as the landing gear was retracted. The aircrew selected a highway on which to land. However, the left wing hit a utility pole, then the acft went thru a fence & hit a highway embankment. Investigation revealed that jet-a fuel had been added to the acft rather than 100LL fuel. The truck containing jet-a fuel looked similar to the one with 100LL avgas, but was properly designated with fuel grade markings.
Aircraft
- Registration
- CGSCA
- Reported as
- Douglas DC-3C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27190
- Airframe hours
- 17,933
- Engine
- P&W R-1830, 1,025 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Skycraft Air Transport
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 4, 1984 · 25 hours before
- Destination
- YYZ · Toronto
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- STL · Lambert-St.Louis, runway 24, 7,600 × 150 ft, concrete
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 32
- Certificates
- Foreign, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 4,000 total · 1,350 in this make and model · 2,400 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 65 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 340° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- STL