- Date
- July 20, 1988, 02:25 local (07:25 UTC)
- Place
- Chicago, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8069SPiper PA-32R-301T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report November 7, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880720027189A
- Case key
- 14118
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
During climbout after takeoff, the pilot experienced an engine fire and diverted to Chicago's midway airport for an emergency landing. The pilot executed emergency procedures, shut down the engine, the fuel supply, and all electrical load. When the pilot knew he had the runway made, he selected the gear down position with the gear handle, but elected not to verify gear down and locked for safety reasons. The gear failed to extend; a gear up landing ensued. It was reported that the landing gear would drop when the gear handle was activated. Post-accident examination of the engine compartment revealed that the fire was the result of a loose line fitting on a fuel injector nozzle which allowed raw fuel to spray into the compartment; specifically, onto the turbo-charger. The aircraft was jacked up and removed from the runway before an investigator arrived on the scene.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8069S
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32R-301T (PA-32R-301)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-8229028
- Airframe hours
- 1,249
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-S1AD, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Smith, Loren E.
- Registered owner
- Smith, Loren E.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 21, 1987 · 166 hours before
- Departed
- 1C5 · Plainfield, IL
- Destination
- UCA · Utica, NY
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MDW · Midway, runway 31R, 5,078 × 150 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
- 40
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,200 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 35 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MDW
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.