- Date
- July 17, 1983, 10:01 local (14:01 UTC)
- Place
- Atlanta, GA
- Injuries
- 5 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N8387XPiper PA-34-22OT
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830717038719A
- Case key
- 5937
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 acft was on a takeoff roll when the left main and nose gear retracted. Investigation revealed a flt switch for the hobbs meter had been installed to automatically record only flt time when the switch was in the flt position. In this postion the hobbs meter was tied in to the weight on the acft wheels. The switch had recently been modified and this was the first flt with the switch in the flt position. During a test after the accident the gear retracted in this position even with the gear handle down. No test of the gear had been made afterthe modification prior to release for flt.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8387X
- Reported as
- Piper PA-34-22OT
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-8133092
- Airframe hours
- 664
- Engine
- Continental TSIO-360-KB, 220 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Atlantic Executive, doing business as Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- William C. Lloyd
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 15, 1983 · 62 hours before
- Destination
- EWN · New Bern, NC
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- PDK · Dekalb-Peachtree, runway 20L, 5,001 × 100 ft, concrete
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,000 total · 175 in this make and model · 5,700 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PDK, 5 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.