20260613006499I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-24-250 · Auburn, WA · June 13, 2026

Date
June 13, 2026 · 08:50 local
Place
Auburn, WA
Airport
Auburn Municipal
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N6087P
Reported as
Piper PA-24-250
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-540 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
1,222 total559 in this make and model8 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Flight profile: local proficiency flight (S50 – kcls – kplu – S50)

Location: Auburn airport (S50)

Description: while returning from a multi-leg local proficiency flight (S50 – kcls – kplu), the pilot encountered a high-density traffic pattern and heavy radio communications upon arrival at Auburn airport (S50). The resulting task saturation distracted the pilot, causing him to omit the before-landing checklist. Concurrently, a mechanical anomaly occurred wherein the aircraft’s landing gear "not down and locked" warning horn failed to activate. Without the checklist verification or an auditory backup, the pilot failed to extend the landing gear, resulting in a gear-up landing.

As the FAA filed it

FLIGHT PROFILE: LOCAL PROFICIENCY FLIGHT (S50 – KCLS – KPLU – S50)

LOCATION: AUBURN AIRPORT (S50)

DESCRIPTION: WHILE RETURNING FROM A MULTI-LEG LOCAL PROFICIENCY FLIGHT (S50 – KCLS – KPLU), THE PILOT ENCOUNTERED A HIGH-DENSITY TRAFFIC PATTERN AND HEAVY RADIO COMMUNICATIONS UPON ARRIVAL AT AUBURN AIRPORT (S50). THE RESULTING TASK SATURATION DISTRACTED THE PILOT, CAUSING HIM TO OMIT THE BEFORE-LANDING CHECKLIST. CONCURRENTLY, A MECHANICAL ANOMALY OCCURRED WHEREIN THE AIRCRAFT’S LANDING GEAR "NOT DOWN AND LOCKED" WARNING HORN FAILED TO ACTIVATE. WITHOUT THE CHECKLIST VERIFICATION OR AN AUDITORY BACKUP, THE PILOT FAILED TO EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR, RESULTING IN A GEAR-UP LANDING.