- Date
- September 15, 1985, 07:20 local (11:20 UTC)
- Place
- Cheswold, DE
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3298QCessna 401
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850915044959A
- Case key
- 11192
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
After landing on runway 27, the pilot slowed the aircraft to approximately 30 mph. The aircraft had rolled out about 1000 feet when the gear horn sounded and all three landing gear collapsed. The pilot reached for the gear switch, which was in the up position, but the gear completed its retraction and the aircraft skidded along the runway approximately 127 feet. Testing of the squat switch, according to the pilot, revealed that the switch had failed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3298Q
- Reported as
- Cessna 401
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 401-0098
- Airframe hours
- 5,800
- Engine
- Continental TSIO520 E, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Aero Quest Aviation
- Registered owner
- Kimley W. Leonard
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- INT · Winston-Salem, NC
- Destination
- 33N · Dover, DE
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- 33N · Delaware Airpark, runway 27, 3,484 × 50 ft, asphalt
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
- 33
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,550 total · 725 in this make and model · 2,500 as pilot in command · 85 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 1 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DOV, 8 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.
Other investigations on N3298Q · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.