Piper PA31-350 incident near Waterloo, Iowa, December 21, 1982
On December 21, 1982 at about 4:23 pm local time, a Piper PA31-350, registered N600TS, suffered minor damage in an incident near Waterloo, Iowa (Waterloo Muni airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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 incident. 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
- December 21, 1982 · about 4:23 pm local time
- Place
- Waterloo, Iowa · Waterloo Muni · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA31-350 · all PA31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N600TS · no longer on the register · serial 31-7305047
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIOR TO LANDING N600TS REPORTEDLY HAD AN UNSAFE NOSE GEAR DOWN INDICATION. AT LANDING TOUCHDOWN, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. EXAMINATION REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION HOWEVER THE BEARING ENDS, P/N 452-412, SHOWED EVIDENCE OF OVERLOAD FAILURE. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED ON A FAR 91 POSITIONING FLIGHT.
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all; 1,600 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 43 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,482 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Central Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: C Marshfield WI
- Destination: C Waterloo IA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12, 8,401 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 015° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N600TS the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.