Piper PA-23 accident near Lawrence, Massachusetts, March 24, 1984
On March 24, 1984 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-23, registered N2080P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lawrence, Massachusetts (Lawrence Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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
- March 24, 1984 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Lawrence, Massachusetts · Lawrence Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-23 · all PA-23s on the register
- Registration
- N2080P · no longer on the register · serial 667
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE PLT COMPLETED HIS LANDING, HE LET THE ACFT ROLL-OUT TO THE INTERSECTION OF RWYS 32 & 23 WHERE HE INTENDED TO TURN OFF THE ACTIVE RWY. HE REPORTED THAT WHEN HE CAME TO THE INTERSECTION, THE RIGHT GEAR 'COLLAPSED' (RETRACTED) & THE ACFT SKIDDED TO THE RIGHT. HE STATED THAT THE ACFT CAME TO A STOP IN THE INTERSECTION, THEN THE LEFT GEAR ALSO 'COLLAPSED.' LATER, THE ACFT WAS PUT ON JACKS & THE LANDING GEAR WAS PUMPED DOWN. AN EXAM REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF A MECHANICAL PROBLEM, EXCEPT SAND WAS FOUND IN THE HINGE AREA OF THE LANDING GEAR. REPORTEDLY, THE SAND WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THE LANDING GEAR FROM PROPERLY LOCKING IN THE 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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,250 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,564 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 1984; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-340-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MHT Manchester NH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 3,901 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.