Piper PA-30-160 accident near Salem, Illinois, July 15, 1982
On July 15, 1982 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-30-160, registered N7047Y, was substantially damaged in an accident near Salem, Illinois (Salem airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 15, 1982 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Salem, Illinois · Salem
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30-160 · all PA-30-160s on the register
- Registration
- N7047Y · registry record · serial 3050
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PILOT STATED HE HAD 3 GREEN GEAR LIGHTS. DURING TOUCHDOWN AND ROLL THE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. THE LANDING GEAR CONTROL SWITCH COLLAR WAS DEFECTIVE AND IF THE PILOT DID NOT HOLD THE GEAR SELECTOR IN THE DOWN POSITION IT MAY HAVE RETURNED TO OFF BEFORE THE GEAR WAS LOCKED DOWN. THIS WOULD ACCOUNT FOR THE GEAR COLLAPSING UNDER THE WEIGHT OF LANDING. IT WAS NOT DETERMINED HOW LONG THIS SITUATION HAD EXISTED. IN ADDITION, IT APPEARED THAT THE SWITCH MAY HAVE BEEN INSTALLED UPSIDE DOWN REQUIRING THE HANDLE TO BE PULLED OUT TO GET THE GEAR 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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,866 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 2,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,397 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 115 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-320-B1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Little Rock AR at 1:30 pm
- Destination: Salem IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 169°F (76°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Other NTSB records under N7047Y the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI82DA250.