- Date
- May 19, 1990, 20:00 local (May 20, 1990, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Creve Coeur, MO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9071DPiper PA-18A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900519017349A
- Case key
- 34985
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
Fuel contamination and inadequate preflight.
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 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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9071D
- Reported as
- Piper PA-18A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 6437
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2A, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- St. Louis Air Ads, Inc.
- Destination
- 1H0
- Airport
- 1HO · Creve Coeur
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
- 37
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total · 500 in this make and model · 10,000 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- STL, 10 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 N9071D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.