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20260714010379I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Jeffrey Paden T-51 · Swainsboro, GA · July 14, 2026

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 14, 2026 · 13:23 local
Place
Swainsboro, GA
Airport
East Georgia Regional
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N551DP
Reported as
Jeffrey Paden T-51
Reported engine
Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
17,400 total1 in this make and model25 in the last 90 days
N551DPRegistered now · Jeffrey Paden T-51S/N M09SV6SOHK0146 · Built 2012Airframe modelJeffrey Paden T-51Engine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

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.

While landing on runway 32 the aircraft belly landed and struck the propeller on the runway due to the landing gear not being extended. The pilot was used to flying fixed gear aircraft and forgot to extend the gear. This was in instructional flight with the instructor in the rear seat for insurance purposes. The instructor did not have access to, or visibilty of the landing gear control handle or position indication lights.

As the FAA filed it

WHILE LANDING ON RUNWAY 32 THE AIRCRAFT BELLY LANDED AND STRUCK THE PROPELLER ON THE RUNWAY DUE TO THE LANDING GEAR NOT BEING EXTENDED. THE PILOT WAS USED TO FLYING FIXED GEAR AIRCRAFT AND FORGOT TO EXTEND THE GEAR. THIS WAS IN INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT WITH THE INSTRUCTOR IN THE REAR SEAT FOR INSURANCE PURPOSES. THE INSTRUCTOR DID NOT HAVE ACCESS TO, OR VISIBILTY OF THE LANDING GEAR CONTROL HANDLE OR POSITION INDICATION LIGHTS.