Piper PA-23-160 accident near West Chicago, Illinois, September 30, 1994
On September 30, 1994 at about 1:50 am local time, a Piper PA-23-160, registered N5272A, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Chicago, Illinois (Dupage 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to use the manual hydraulic pump to lower the landing gear. Factors were the failure of the fuel selector handle, the subsequent fuel starvation, and the pilot's failure to properly crossfeed and restart the left engine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 1994 · about 1:50 am local time
- Place
- West Chicago, Illinois · Dupage · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-160 · all PA-23-160s on the register
- Registration
- N5272A · registry record · serial 23-2109
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE LEFT ENGINE LOST POWER DURING DESCENT. AFTER SEVERAL UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS TO RESTORE ENGINE POWER THE PILOT CLOSED THE THROTTLE AND FEATHERED THE LEFT PROPELLER. HE SAID HE LOWERED THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE AND OBTAINED SAFE GEAR INDICATIONS DURING THE SINGLE ENGINE APPROACH, BUT DID NOT USE THE EMERGENCY HYDRAULIC PUMP. DURING THE LANDING, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. INVESTIGATION REVEALED BOTH AUXILIARY FUEL TANKS WERE NEARLY EMPTY AND THE MAIN FUEL TANKS WERE ABOUT HALF FULL. THE TWO RIVETS WHICH MOUNT THE LEFT FUEL SELECTOR HANDLE HAD FAILED, RENDERING THE SELECTOR INOPERATIVE. FUNCTIONAL TESTS OF THE LANDING GEAR, HYDRAULIC, AND FUEL SYSTEMS, INCLUDING THE CROSSFEED, REVEALED NO OTHER EVIDENCE OF MALFUNCTION.
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; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,432 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 44 in the last 30 days; 1,318 as pilot in command; 15 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,692 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 18, 1994; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B3B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SUS St Louis MO at 11:45 pm
- Destination: DPA IL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 1L, 5,100 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:45 am from DPA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.