Probable cause
The pilot's unstable approach and subsequent loss of airplane control during an attempted go-around.
NTSB analysis
The commercial pilot was performing a night visual approach for landing. A witness on the ground, who was a flight instructor, stated that the airplane's approach was "very unstable" and "erratic," and that the airplane's nose pitched up and down as the pilot made "large power adjustments." He stated that the airplane then began a go-around, which he also described as "unstable." The airplane subsequently descended and impacted terrain. Examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN16LA379 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Sep 19, 2016
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Chesterfield, Missouri
- Nearest airport
- Spirit Of St Louis Airport (SUS)
- Highest injury
- Serious
- Serious injuries
- 1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Night
Cessna 172S
- N-number
- N52265
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 2009
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.