Piper PA-23-250 incident near Washington, District of Columbia, December 5, 1982
On December 5, 1982 at about 3:40 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N501BC, suffered minor damage in an incident near Washington, District of Columbia (Dca airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 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
- December 5, 1982 · about 3:40 pm local time
- Place
- Washington, District of Columbia · Dca
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N501BC · registry record · serial 27-7305157
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE HAD 3 GREEN LIGHTS AFTER EXTENDING THE LANDING GEAR. DURING LANDING ROLL, THE LEFT MAIN LDG GR COLLAPSED FOR AN UNDETERMINED REASON. THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE WAS FOUND IN THE DOWN POSITION.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 564 hours in all; 408 in this make and model; 366 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,803 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO540C435 (piston); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
- Operator: Mars Aerospace, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ISP Islip NY at 9:15 am
- Destination: DCA Washington DC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 6,869 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 156°F (69°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.