45.5516° N, 84.7834° WPlaced by OpenAirDocs: center of Pellston, MI, within about 6 miles.Open in the map
Date
August 8, 1979 · 10:10 local
Place
Pellston, MI
Airport
Emmet Co
Phase of flight
Takeoff Ground Roll
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N14246
Reported as
Piper PA23250
People aboard
5
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
5,300 total5,004 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days
From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Gear retracted just prior to takeoff. Gear handle safety latch cracked. Probably bumped by passenger. .
As the FAA filed it
GEAR RETRACTED JUST PRIOR TO TAKEOFF. GEAR HANDLE SAFETY LATCH CRACKED. PROBABLY BUMPED BY PASSENGER. .