Piper PA-32RT-300T N2173B

Summary

On 4 May 1985 at about 00:59 local time, a Piper PA-32RT-300T registered N2173B was involved in an accident near Seattle, Washington, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

4 May 1985 at 00:59

Classification

Accident

Location

Seattle, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Boeing Field King County (BFI)

Coordinates

47.5398, -122.3100

Aircraft

Piper PA-32RT-300T

Registration

N2173B

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Moses Lake

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA85FA103

3 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

AFTER LIFTOFF, THE PLT REQUESTED AN IMMEDIATE RETURN FOR LANDING STATING HE, 'SMELLED SMOKE/SOMETHING HOT'. DOWNWIND FOR THE PRECAUTIONARY LANDING WAS FLOWN AT 200 FT AGL, A SLOW AIRSPEED AND CLOSE TO THE RUNWAY WITH A CROSSWIND BLOWING THE ACFT TOWARD THE RUNWAY. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE APCH TURN STEEPEN TO AN APRX 60 DEG ANGLE OF BANK WITH MINOR PITCH AND YAW EXCURSIONS (LOCAL PLTS REPORT THAT WIND FROM THE SOUTHWEST PRODUCES TURBULENCE AND WINDSHEAR DUE TO SURROUNDING STRUCTURES) BEFORE THE NOSE PITCHED UP ABRUPTLY AND THE ACFT FELL OFF ON THE RIGHT WING, ROLLING TO A NEAR-VERTICAL ATTITUDE AND IMPACTING THE RUNWAY. THE ACFT WAS IMMEDIATELY ENGULFED IN FIRE. FLAPS WERE FOUND IN THE UP POSITION. NO EVIDENCE FOUND OF PRE-IMPACT SOURCE OF SMOKE/HEAT AS REPORTED BY THE PLT.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.