Piper PA-24-250 accident near Kutztown, Pennsylvania, November 25, 2003
On November 25, 2003 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N5406P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kutztown, Pennsylvania (Kutztown Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent retraction of the landing gear on the ground.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 25, 2003 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kutztown, Pennsylvania · Kutztown Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N5406P · registry record · serial 24-460
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the rollout after landing, the pilot turned off the landing lights, turned off the fuel pump, and after raising the flaps, the landing gear retracted and the airplane settled on to the ground. The pilot did not recall if he raised the landing gear selector lever, and did not check its position after the accident. After the accident, the pilot had the airplane removed from the runway and placed into a hangar, where it was discovered about 3 months later by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector conducting routine surveillance at the airport.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,505 hours in all; 808 in this make and model; 3 in the last 90 days; 1,345 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 8, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,261 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 17, 2002; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: N31 Kutztown PA at 8:30 pm
- Destination: N31
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 2,485 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 8:54 pm from RDG
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.