Piper Aerostar 602P accident near Seattle, Washington, July 26, 2004
On July 26, 2004 at about 4:42 am local time, a Piper Aerostar 602P, registered N663W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Seattle, Washington (Boeing Field/King County Intl). It was a personal flight 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 landing gear extention not performed by the pilot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 2004 · about 4:42 am local time
- Place
- Seattle, Washington · Boeing Field/King County Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper Aerostar 602P · all Aerostar 602Ps on the register
- Registration
- N663W · registry record · serial 62P09298165052
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane landed gear-up and the pilot reported, in part, "...Seattle approach assigned the visual approach into Boeing Field runway 31L and sequenced me between a Lear and a Citation requesting that I keep hold speed at 160 knots until DUANE intersection." During the approach the pilot was handed off to Boeing tower and was cleared for the visual approach. He reported "As I approached I slowed to gear extension speed and thought I had extended my gear (I had actually actuated my flaps)." Shortly thereafter, the airplane landed on runway 31L with the landing gear retracted. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that may have contributed to the accident.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 982 hours in all; 325 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KSZT Sandpoint ID
- Destination: BFI Seattle WA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31L
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA04CA144.