- Date
- December 11, 1982, 16:20 local (21:20 UTC)
- Place
- Kalamazoo, MI
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N256BColonial C-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 11, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19821211063629A
- Case key
- 71217
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.
Nose gear collapsed
Lubricating system - pressure too lowCause
Fluid,oil - leakCause
Precautionary landing - performed
Terrain condition - softFactor
Landing gear,nose gear - overload
Landing gear,nose gear - failure,total
Analysis
Pilot lost oil pressure and elected to land in a plowed field. Nose gear collapsed during landing. Oil leak was the cause of the drop in quantity and pressure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N256B
- Reported as
- Colonial C-1
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 16
- Airframe hours
- 1,416
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A3B, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- William J. Gras
- Registered owner
- William J. Gras
- Departed
- South Bend, IN
- Destination
- Grand Haven, MI
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 240 total · 1 in this make and model · 2 as pilot in command · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.