Piper PA-23C-250 N6383Y
25 July 1982 · Gunnison, Colorado, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 25 July 1982 at about 14:45 local time, a Piper PA-23C-250 registered N6383Y, operated by Landair Charter Service, Inc., was involved in an accident near Gunnison, Colorado, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 14:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Gunnison, Colorado, United States
- Nearest airport
- Gunnison County (GUC)
- Coordinates
- 38.5406, -106.9207
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23C-250
- Registration
- N6383Y
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Landair Charter Service, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Gunnison → Santa Fe
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN82DA146
People
2 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
DURING TAKEOFF, THE PILOT WAS DISTRACTED BY INBOUND TRAFFIC AND DELAYED RETRACTING HIS GEAR. AT THE SAME TIME, THE ENGINES WERE NOT SYNCHRONIZED AND HE WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY GETTING THEM TO SOUND GOOD. HE THEN NOTICED THAT A FIRE HAD STARTED IN THE VICINITY OF THE LEFT ENGINE. THE LEFT ENGINE WAS SHUT DOWN AND FEATHERED, AND THE FIRE SUBSIDED. SINCE THE HYDRAULIC PUMP WAS ON THE LEFT ENGINE, THE HAND PUMP HAD TO BE USED TO RETRACT OR EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR. THE PILOT DELAYED PUMPING THE GEAR UP, THEN REALIZED HE WOULD BE UNABLE TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT. SUBSEQUENTLY, HE LANDED IN A GRASSY AREA WITH THE GEAR RETRACTED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED FIRE DAMAGE IN THE VICINITY OF THE FUEL INJECTOR AND ALTERATOR. A FUEL LEAK WAS FOUND AT THE MIXTURE CONTROL VALVE, PN 2522591, WHERE THE O-RINGS AROUND THE VALVE STEM WERE WORN. ALSO, A TEARDOWN OF THE ALTERNATOR REVEALED THAT THE BRUSHES AND ARMATURE WERE WORN TO THE EXTENT THAT SPARKING COULD OCCUR, THE DENSITY ALTITUDE WAS ABOUT 8500 FT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-23C accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 May 1983 | Piper PA-23C-250 | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, United States | Lucaya Beach Air Service | Fatal | 5 |
| 26 Jan 1977 | Piper PA-23C | Enterprise, Alabama, United States | Trans Air Expr | No injuries | - |
| 27 Feb 1999 | Piper PA-23C-250 | Lamar, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Mar 1982 | Cessna 172 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | John A. Meyer | No injuries | - |
| 22 May 1982 | Beechcraft V35A | Colorado Spring, Colorado, United States | Edward L. Walsh | No injuries | - |
| 22 Jul 1982 | American AA5B | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | Rainbow Aviation Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 17 Jun 1982 | Cessna 172 | Colorado Spring, Colorado, United States | Chesley M. Louitt | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 1982 | Quicksilver MXII | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | Jamee J. Andersen | Serious injuries | - |
| 24 Jun 1982 | Schweizer SGS 1-34 | Colorado Spring, Colorado, United States | Dennis Pollard | No injuries | - |