Cessna 414 accident near Sarasota, Florida, October 4, 1985
On October 4, 1985 at about 3:05 pm local time, a Cessna 414, registered N24ET, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sarasota, Florida (Sarasota airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were 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
- October 4, 1985 · about 3:05 pm local time
- Place
- Sarasota, Florida · Sarasota
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 414 · all 414s on the register
- Registration
- N24ET · registry record · serial 414-0525
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT STATED THAT HIS RIGHT MAIN GEAR WOULD NOT EXTEND, SO HE CIRCLED THE ARPT FOR ABOUT 1/2 HOUR TO BURN OFF EXCESS FUEL, RETRACTED THE REMAINING GEAR & INTENTIONALLY LANDED GEAR UP ON RWY 32. EXAMINATION OF THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING IT TO EXTEND BEYOND IT'S ACCEPTABLE LIMITS AND JAM IN THE RETRACTED 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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 15,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 1, 1985; 200 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,500 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520 SERI (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SRQ at 3:05 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 7,003 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:05 pm from PIE, 32 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.