Piper PA-23-160 accident near Kankakee, Illinois, June 4, 1984
On June 4, 1984 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-160, registered N1700W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kankakee, Illinois (Kankaee airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 4, 1984 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kankakee, Illinois · Kankaee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-160 · all PA-23-160s on the register
- Registration
- N1700W · no longer on the register · serial 23-1891
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER DEPARTING THE ARPT, THE PLT ELECTED TO PRACTICE EMERGENCY PROCEDURES. HE SHUT DOWN & FEATHERED THE LEFT ENG ABOUT 4 MI SOUTH OF THE ARPT AT 4000 FT MSL. HE THEN TRIED TO RESTART THE ENG, BUT REPORTED THAT THE BATTERY DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH PWR TO TURN THE ENG OVER FAST ENOUGH TO RESTART. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO RESTART THE ENG, HE TURNED TOWARD THE ARPT TO LAND WITH THE LEFT ENG FEATHERED. THE ACFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH ONLY 1 ENG DRIVEN HYDRAULIC PUMP & IT WAS DRIVEN BY THE LEFT ENG. WITH THE LEFT ENG SHUT DOWN, THE PLT HAD TO LOWER THE HYDRAULICALLY OPERATED GEAR WITH A HAND PUMP. DURING AN APCH TO RWY 22, HE DID NOT ALLOW ENOUGH TIME TO PUMP THE GEAR DOWN, SO HE DECIDED TO LAND ON RWY 34. HE APPLIED FULL PWR TO THE RIGHT ENG, BUT COULD NOT MAINTAIN HIS ALTITUDE, SO HE 'TIGHTENED UP THE PATTERN.' THE PLT SAID HE DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH ALT TO GET THE ACFT LINED UP BEFORE IT HIT THE GROUND, WING TIP 1ST. IT CRASH LANDED ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF RWY 34, SLID ACROSS THE RWY & CAME TO REST ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE. THE PLT HAD TTL OF 0.6 HRS IN MAKE/MODEL.
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: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,300 hours in all; 214 in the last 90 days; 3,022 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,876 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 9, 1983; 33 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B3B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Rusk Aviation,Inc.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 3,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:10 pm from IKK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.