- Date
- August 5, 1983, 14:05 local (20:05 UTC)
- Place
- Billings, MT
- Injuries
- 6 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N363VAPiper 601P
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830805039239A
- Case key
- 16405
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
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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
Before starting the flt, the acft was loaded with full fuel, 5 adult passengers & aprx 45 lbs of baggage. The elevation & temp at the arpt were 3606 ft & 93 deg. The plt said he did not calculate the weight & balance or density altitude limits for this flt because he had previously flown this acft under similar conditions & had not encountered any problems. The plt initiated a no flap takeoff, as was required. He reported that the acft was slow to accelerate during the takeoff roll. After lift-off, he retracted the landing gear, but the acft would not climb & began to decelerate. To the plt, there appeared to be insufficient rwy remaining for a wheel landing, so he elected to land with the gear up. An investigation revealed the acft was about 400 lbs over its certificated max gross weight limit & the density alt was 6528 ft. also, the plt stated that the engs & all systems appeared to be working well. The wind was variable & gusting from calm to 5 KTS. Just before starting takeoff, the wind was reported from 070 deg at 5 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N363VA
- Reported as
- Piper 601P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 61PO80480634
- Airframe hours
- 618
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-S1A5, 290 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- John R. Glenn
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 16, 1983 · 98 hours before
- Destination
- FCA · Kalispell, MT
- Airport
- BIL · Bil, runway 27R, 10,500 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 667 total · 129 in this make and model · 603 as pilot in command · 58 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- GIL
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.