Cessna 404 incident near Charlotte, North Carolina, May 24, 1982
On May 24, 1982, a Cessna 404, registered N88694, suffered minor damage in an incident near Charlotte, North Carolina (Charlotte Douglas airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 1982
- Place
- Charlotte, North Carolina · Charlotte Douglas · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 404 · all 404s on the register
- Registration
- N88694 · no longer on the register · serial 404-0227
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING TAKEOFF, THE HYDRAULIC PRESSURE WAS LOST AFTER THE GEAR WAS RAISED AND THE FLAPS WERE BEING RETRACTED. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO EXTEND THE GEAR WITH BOTH THE NORMAL AND MANUAL SYSTEMS, BUT TO NO AVAIL. SUBSEQUENTLY, A GEAR UP LANDING WAS MADE. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT A HYDRAULIC LINE, PN 57-27100, HAD FAILED.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,115 hours in all; 260 in this make and model; 205 in the last 90 days; 4,879 as pilot in command; 236 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,111 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,450 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSIO-520M (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sunbird Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: Raleigh NC at 6:06 pm
- Destination: ATL Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36, 7,845 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 167°F (75°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 8:17 pm from CLT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.