Piper PA-23-250 accident near Peoria, Illinois, February 23, 1998
On February 23, 1998 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-23-250, registered N54231, was substantially damaged in an accident near Peoria, Illinois (Greater Peoria Reg. airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an improper preflight inspection of the airplane by the pilot and the inadvertant stall/mush which was encountered. A factor associated with this accident was the pilot's decision to continue to use the emergency hydraulic hand pump rather than the CO2 bottle to extend the landing gear which resulted in the landing gear not fully extending.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 23, 1998 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Peoria, Illinois · Greater Peoria Reg. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23-250 · all PA-23-250s on the register
- Registration
- N54231 · no longer on the register · serial 27-7554025
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said his left engine was overheating during a climb to cruise altitude at which time he determined that he left the cowl plugs in the engine's cowl opening. The pilot shut the engine down and returned to the airport. During the instrument approach the pilot attempted to extend the landing gear and flaps. While on a 1-mile final approach the tower advised the pilot to go- around because the landing gear wasn't fully extended. The pilot said the airplane was past mid-field before he applied power to go-around. He said the airplane continued to descend prior to entering a stall/mush. The airplane collided with a taxiway and slid onto a grass area. The on-scene investigation revealed no anomalies with the normal and emergency hydraulic systems. The CO2-operated emergency landing gear extension system was capable of functioning. It had not been used. The flaps were found in the full '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; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,700 hours in all; 125 in this make and model; 190 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days; 2,620 as pilot in command; 900 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,656 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 20, 1997; 81 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PIA at 1:48 pm
- Destination: PIA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 13, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 pm from PIA, 1 miles away
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.