42.0083° N, 91.6441° WPlaced by OpenAirDocs: center of Cedar Rapids, IA, within about 6 miles.Open in the map
Date
December 8, 1981 · 07:57 local
Place
Cedar Rapids, IA
Airport
Cedar Rapids
Phase of flight
Normal Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Aircraft
N26DV
Reported as
Piper PA31T1
Reported engine
Lycoming TIO540*
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
6,400 total1,020 in this make and model120 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.
Passenger alerted pilot to a flashing through engine cowl opening. Emergency landing. No defect. Sun reflections.
As the FAA filed it
PASSENGER ALERTED PILOT TO A FLASHING THROUGH ENGINE COWL OPENING. EMERGENCY LANDING.NO DEFECT. SUN REFLECTIONS.