- Date
- June 22, 1982, 18:00 local (Jun 23, 1982, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Durango, CO
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Unknown
- Aircraft
- N31912Piper PA-32RT-300T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19820622026959A
- Case key
- 70525
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
The pilot reported that after taking off, dense white smoke began to fill the cockpit and seemed to come from under the instrument panel. He stated that the instruments were in the normal operating range, but the smoke became so dense that the visibility in the cockpit was reduced to a few inches. The passenger in the right front seat was also a pilot and assisted in navigating back to the airport. The aircraft was landed downwind on runway 20, and after touchdown, the nose gear collapsed. An examination revealed that a turbocharger exhaust coupling had failed and allowed hot exhaust gases to expel into the engine compartment. The oil pressure hose line melted and oil was sprayed onto the turbocharger and mixed with the hot gases and burned. The smoke entered the cockpit through the vent beneath the instrument panel. An examination of the nose gear revealed that the gear down lock springs were damaged by fire, thus allowing the nose gear to collapse.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N31912
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32RT-300T (PA-32RT-30)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R7887014
- Airframe hours
- 1,245
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-51AD, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Fire
- Both
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Durango Flying Service
- Registered owner
- D. Watkins/C. Crone/R. Grossma
- Departed
- DRO · Durango, CO
- Destination
- COS · Colorado Spring, CO
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- DRO · Durango Laplata Co., runway 20, 9,200 × 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
- 33
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,353 total · 310 in this make and model · 1,141 as pilot in command · 218 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 75 statute miles
- Temperature
- 165 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DRO
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.