Piper PA-34-200T accident near West Chicago, Illinois, March 19, 2003
On March 19, 2003 at about 2:10 am local time, a Piper PA-34-200T, registered N930DE, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Chicago, Illinois (Dupage Airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 pilot's improper flare resulting in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 19, 2003 · about 2:10 am local time
- Place
- West Chicago, Illinois · Dupage Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-34-200T · all PA-34-200Ts on the register
- Registration
- N930DE · registry record · serial 348070176
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane sustained substantial damage during a hard landing at night. The pilot reported, "Because it was windy I flew at 100 kt on final, and on touchdown I felt that the nose was too low. I pulled back on the elevator and the nose came up, and then I lowered the nose again and again it was too low. I stopped the engines with the mixture and the plane stopped, nose down." Inspection of the airplane revealed that the nose gear was collapsed. The nose gear support tube was pushed vertically up through the top of the airframe about 6 inches. The center windshield airframe post was pushed up, and the left and right windshields were separated from the cockpit's windshield frame. All three blade tips on both propellers were bent aft and exhibited chordwise gouging and scraping.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,920 hours in all; 85 in this make and model; 64 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 2,674 as pilot in command; 366 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 24, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 4,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-360-E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MDW Chicago IL at 1:50 am
- Destination: DPA West Chicago IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 2R, 5,100 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 050° at 17 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from DPA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.