- Date
- November 9, 1987, 18:15 local (Nov 10, 1987, 00:15 UTC)
- Place
- Decatur, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7865YPiper PA-30B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report January 11, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871109063489A
- Case key
- 14015
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.
Gear not extended
Checklist - not followedCause
Wheels up landing - inadvertentCause
Analysis
The aircraft experienced a landing with the gear retracted. The pilot stated that he perceived the yellow light indication for the landing gear to mean 'down', instead of looking for a green light.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7865Y
- Reported as
- Piper PA-30B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 30-948
- Airframe hours
- 5,636
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-320-B1A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Stephen G. Graliker
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 5, 1987 · 16 hours before
- Departed
- SPI · Springfield, IL
- Airport
- DEC · Decatur, runway 36, 5,300 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 67
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,295 total · 242 in this make and model · 3,175 as pilot in command · 24 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 330° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DEC
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.