Piper PA-31-310 Navajo crash, Jan 5, 1982 (2 killed), Ith...
Piper PA-31-310 Navajo accident on January 5, 1982 near Ithaca-Tompkins, New York, United States with 2 fatalities. Cause: Excessive wear of the left...
- Date: January 5, 1982
- Aircraft: Piper PA-31-310 Navajo
- Location: Ithaca-Tompkins, New York, United States
- Fatalities: 2
- Phase of flight: Approach and landing
- Cause: Excessive wear of the left flap motor flexible drive spline and certification of the airplane with a flap system that did not meet Civil Air Regulation 3.339, causing a split flap condition and marginal control authority. Moderate low altitude turbulence and wind shear may have contributed.
A Piper Navajo on a scheduled commuter flight crashed in a wooded area while approaching Tompkins County Airport at Ithaca after the crew reported a flap problem. Both pilots were killed and the aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB found a worn flap drive that left the flaps split and the aircraft hard to control.