Mitsubishi MU-2B-36 incident near Salina, Kansas, February 5, 1983
On February 5, 1983 at about 3:15 am local time, a Mitsubishi MU-2B-36, registered N709US, suffered minor damage in an incident near Salina, Kansas (Salina Muni. airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 7 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
- February 5, 1983 · about 3:15 am local time
- Place
- Salina, Kansas · Salina Muni. · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-36 · all MU-2B-36s on the register
- Registration
- N709US · no longer on the register · serial 672
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS ON A FLT FROM PITSBURG, PA TO SALINA, KS WITH AN EN ROUTE STOP AT ST LOUIS, MO. DURING A BRIEFING AT PITSBURG, THE PLT WAS ADVISED OF A NOTAM THAT THE NORTH 6800 FT OF RWY 17/35 WAS CLOSED, RWY LIGHTS OBSCURED, 10 FT SNOWBANKS. HE DID NOT GET A BRIEFING DURING THE STOP-OVER AT ST LOUIS. DURING AN INSTRUMENT APPROACH TO SALINA, HE CONTACTED THE FSS AND REQUESTED AN ARPT ADVISORY. AN ADVISORY WAS GIVEN, BUT IT DID NOT INCLUDE THE NOTAM CONCERNING THE CLOSED PORTION OF RWY 17/35. AFTER BREAKING OUT OF THE OVERCAST, HE CANCELED HIS IFR FLT PLAN SO THAT ANOTHER PLT COULD BEGIN HIS DESCENT. THE PLT STATED THAT HE MADE A NIGHT APPROACH TO RWY 17 USING THE VASI AND APPROACH LIGHTS. DURING THE LANDING, THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN ON THE CLOSED PORTION OF THE RWY IN APRX 18 INCHES OF SNOW. WHEN THE NOSE WAS LOWERED, THE NOSE GEAR FAILED, BUT THE DAMAGE WAS CONSIDERED TO BE MINOR.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,500 hours in all; 310 in this make and model; 91 in the last 90 days; 7,340 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (expired)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,964 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 16, 1982; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,575 lb
- Seats: 11
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Airesearch TPE331-625M (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: STL St. Louis MO at 1:45 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17, 13,332 ft by 300 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 170° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 23°F (-5°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 am from SLN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
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.