- Date
- February 4, 1985, 11:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Chantilly, VA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5682PPiper PA-24-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850204001939A
- Case key
- 11157
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
While retracting the landing gear after takeoff, the gear hesitated briefly at about midpoint before retracting fully. Attempts to extend the gear through normal and emergency procedures failed. The acft landed at dulles international airport with the gear in an intermediate position. It was the plt's decision to land in the grass to the left of rwy 30. Immediately after ground contact, the acft impacted a two feet high embankment. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the landing gear motor circuit breaker was tripped. Retraction test indicated that the main gear functioned properly, however extensive damage precluded testing of the nose gear. Prior to the accident, while the acft was tied down, another taxiing acft struck its spinner area, necessitating maint attention, which immediately preceded the accident flt.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5682P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-754
- Airframe hours
- 2,100
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1C5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- David B. Kessler
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 8, 1984 · 49 hours before
- Departed
- GAI · Gaithersburg, MD
- Airport
- IAD · Dulles International
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 800 total · 600 in this make and model · 800 as pilot in command · 173 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 25 °F, dew point 9 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IAD
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.