What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On may 15, 2026, the orlando flight standards district office (FSDO) received notification that an aircraft had experienced a gear-up landing at Keystone Heights Airport (42J). Inspector a and b traveled to Keystone Heights on may 18, 2026, beginning at 0700, after coordinating with the pilot to ensure their presance.
Upon arrival at the fixed-base operator (FBO) facility at Keystone Heights, the aircraft was observed resting on its landing gear. Following the incident, Keystone Heights ground crews, along with a designated maintenance examiner (DME) assisted in removing the aircraft from the runway. The DME consulted with inspector b to determine whether it was appropriate to manually extend the landing gear for the purpose of moving the aircraft and positioning it on its main landing gear. The decision was made to proceed.
The DME placed the landing gear selector in the down position, disengaged the motor, and used the extension bar to manually deploy the landing gear. The left and right main landing gear extended normally. Due to bent sheet metal affecting the nose gear area from the landing, the nose gear required slight manual assistance to fully extend. The aircraft was then moved to the Keystone Heights FBO.
On may 18, 2026, during the inspection conducted by the orlando FSDO inspectors, it was noted that the landing gear handle was in the down position and the emergency extension panel had been removed. Inspector a also discovered that the landing gear circuit breaker had tripped.
Inspector a interviewed the pilot regarding the events leading up to the gear-up landing. The pilot stated that he, his wife, and their two children were flying from chicago midway airport to Keystone Heights for a trip to disney world. The flight was conducted under VFR.
According to the pilot, after locating the airport he performed a midfield overflight and entered a right downwind for runway 5. During this phase of flight, he attempted to lower the landing gear, but no response occurred. The pilot executed a go-around and remained in the traffic pattern for approximately three to four circuits. During this time, he cycled the landing gear selector between up and down multiple times without success.
The pilot stated that he checked the circuit breakers and believed none had tripped. Because it was dark, he used the flashlight function on his cell phone during troubleshooting. He then opened the emergency extension panel, removed the extension bar, and attempted to manually extend the landing gear. Despite using significant force, the landing gear did not extend, and the pilot eventually bent the extension bar, rendering it unusable. At that point, he concluded that a gear-up landing was unavoidable.
During the gear-up landing, the pilot reported that the flaps were in the zero position and the engine remained operating under power at the time of touchdown. He described the landing as smooth and level. After the aircraft came to rest on the runway, the pilot and passengers exited the aircraft safely. The pilot then notified airport personnel, and recovery operations began.
As the FAA filed it
ON MAY 15, 2026, THE ORLANDO FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE (FSDO) RECEIVED NOTIFICATION THAT AN AIRCRAFT HAD EXPERIENCED A GEAR-UP LANDING AT KEYSTONE HEIGHTS AIRPORT (42J). INSPECTOR A AND B TRAVELED TO KEYSTONE HEIGHTS ON MAY 18, 2026, BEGINNING AT 0700, AFTER COORDINATING WITH THE PILOT TO ENSURE THEIR PRESANCE.
UPON ARRIVAL AT THE FIXED-BASE OPERATOR (FBO) FACILITY AT KEYSTONE HEIGHTS, THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED RESTING ON ITS LANDING GEAR. FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT, KEYSTONE HEIGHTS GROUND CREWS, ALONG WITH A DESIGNATED MAINTENANCE EXAMINER (DME) ASSISTED IN REMOVING THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE RUNWAY. THE DME CONSULTED WITH INSPECTOR B TO DETERMINE WHETHER IT WAS APPROPRIATE TO MANUALLY EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR FOR THE PURPOSE OF MOVING THE AIRCRAFT AND POSITIONING IT ON ITS MAIN LANDING GEAR. THE DECISION WAS MADE TO PROCEED.
THE DME PLACED THE LANDING GEAR SELECTOR IN THE DOWN POSITION, DISENGAGED THE MOTOR, AND USED THE EXTENSION BAR TO MANUALLY DEPLOY THE LANDING GEAR. THE LEFT AND RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR EXTENDED NORMALLY. DUE TO BENT SHEET METAL AFFECTING THE NOSE GEAR AREA FROM THE LANDING, THE NOSE GEAR REQUIRED SLIGHT MANUAL ASSISTANCE TO FULLY EXTEND. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN MOVED TO THE KEYSTONE HEIGHTS FBO.
ON MAY 18, 2026, DURING THE INSPECTION CONDUCTED BY THE ORLANDO FSDO INSPECTORS, IT WAS NOTED THAT THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE WAS IN THE DOWN POSITION AND THE EMERGENCY EXTENSION PANEL HAD BEEN REMOVED. INSPECTOR A ALSO DISCOVERED THAT THE LANDING GEAR CIRCUIT BREAKER HAD TRIPPED.
INSPECTOR A INTERVIEWED THE PILOT REGARDING THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE GEAR-UP LANDING. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE, HIS WIFE, AND THEIR TWO CHILDREN WERE FLYING FROM CHICAGO MIDWAY AIRPORT TO KEYSTONE HEIGHTS FOR A TRIP TO DISNEY WORLD. THE FLIGHT WAS CONDUCTED UNDER VFR.
ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, AFTER LOCATING THE AIRPORT HE PERFORMED A MIDFIELD OVERFLIGHT AND ENTERED A RIGHT DOWNWIND FOR RUNWAY 5. DURING THIS PHASE OF FLIGHT, HE ATTEMPTED TO LOWER THE LANDING GEAR, BUT NO RESPONSE OCCURRED. THE PILOT EXECUTED A GO-AROUND AND REMAINED IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN FOR APPROXIMATELY THREE TO FOUR CIRCUITS. DURING THIS TIME, HE CYCLED THE LANDING GEAR SELECTOR BETWEEN UP AND DOWN MULTIPLE TIMES WITHOUT SUCCESS.
THE PILOT STATED THAT HE CHECKED THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND BELIEVED NONE HAD TRIPPED. BECAUSE IT WAS DARK, HE USED THE FLASHLIGHT FUNCTION ON HIS CELL PHONE DURING TROUBLESHOOTING. HE THEN OPENED THE EMERGENCY EXTENSION PANEL, REMOVED THE EXTENSION BAR, AND ATTEMPTED TO MANUALLY EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR. DESPITE USING SIGNIFICANT FORCE, THE LANDING GEAR DID NOT EXTEND, AND THE PILOT EVENTUALLY BENT THE EXTENSION BAR, RENDERING IT UNUSABLE. AT THAT POINT, HE CONCLUDED THAT A GEAR-UP LANDING WAS UNAVOIDABLE.
DURING THE GEAR-UP LANDING, THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE FLAPS WERE IN THE ZERO POSITION AND THE ENGINE REMAINED OPERATING UNDER POWER AT THE TIME OF TOUCHDOWN. HE DESCRIBED THE LANDING AS SMOOTH AND LEVEL. AFTER THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON THE RUNWAY, THE PILOT AND PASSENGERS EXITED THE AIRCRAFT SAFELY. THE PILOT THEN NOTIFIED AIRPORT PERSONNEL, AND RECOVERY OPERATIONS BEGAN.