Piper PA-28-180 N3365R

Summary

On 23 March 1994 at about 06:30 local time, a Piper PA-28-180 registered N3365R was involved in an accident near Chesterfield, Missouri, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

23 March 1994 at 06:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Chesterfield, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Spirit of St. Louis (SUS)

Coordinates

38.6498, -90.5795

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-180

Registration

N3365R

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Bright

NTSB number

CHI94FA113

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE TAXIING AT A HIGH SPEED TOWARD THE RUNWAY, AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER SAW THE AIRPLANE DIVING VERTICALLY AT FULL POWER TOWARD THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT WAS A LOCAL TV METEOROLOGIST AND WEATHERCASTER. ACCORDING TO COWORKERS, HE HAD BEEN DEPRESSED OVER RECENT MEDIA ACCOUNTS OF HIS ALLEGED EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIR AND HARASSMENT OF A LOCAL WOMAN WHO HAD RECENTLY OBTAINED A COURT ORDER OF PROTECTION AGAINST HIM. COWORKERS ALSO SAID THAT THE PILOT HAD TOLD THEM HE HAD ATTEMPTED SUICIDE TWICE IN THE LAST FEW DAYS. ONE OF THOSE ATTEMPTS WAS REPORTEDLY WHILE HE WAS FLYING HIS AIRPLANE. INVESTIGATION OF THE WRECKAGE DISCLOSED NO EVIDENCE OF PREIMPACT MECHANICAL ANOMALY. POSTMORTEM EXAMINATION OF THE PILOT REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF INCAPACITATION.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.