- Date
- August 8, 1985, 21:14 local (Aug 9, 1985, 04:14 UTC)
- Place
- Seattle, WA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7765KPiper PA-20
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850808054699A
- Case key
- 40221
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
A ground loop occurred and the steering spring failed. The aircraft's steering spring had failed prior to the accident away from a repair station. The pilot made a temporary repair that failed during this ground loop. The pilot stated that a combination of a gust of wind and the broken steering spring caused his accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7765K
- Reported as
- Piper PA-20
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20-593
- Airframe hours
- 2,495
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- David Ausman
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 18, 1985
- Departed
- BLI · Bellingham, WA
- Destination
- BFI · Seattle, WA
- Airport
- BFI · Boeing Field Int'L, runway 13, 10,000 × 200 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
- 57
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 788 total · 467 in this make and model · 623 as pilot in command · 35 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 180° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Observed at
- BFI
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.