- Date
- June 12, 2011, 14:55 local (22:55 UTC)
- Place
- Cold Bay, AK
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N600UADouglas DC-6B
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 4, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration (Operations)
- FAA report
- 20110612012009A
- Case key
- 80758
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The flight crew's failure to extend the landing gear, which resulted in an inadvertent wheels up landing. Contributing to the accident was the flight crew's diverted attention.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
According to the captain, while on approach to land, he distracted the crew by pointing out a boat dock. He said that after touchdown, he realized that the landing gear was not extended, and the airplane slid on its belly, sustaining substantial damage to the underside of the fuselage. He said that the crew did not hear the landing gear retracted warning horn, and the accident could have been prevented if he had not distracted the crew. The captain reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
According to the captain, while on approach to land, he distracted the crew by pointing out a boat dock. He said that after touchdown, he realized that the landing gear was not extended, and the airplane slid on its belly, sustaining substantial damage to the underside of the fuselage. In the captain's written statement to the NTSB, he reported that there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane, but indicated that the flight crew did not hear the landing gear retracted warning horn. The captain also stated that the accident could have been prevented if he had not distracted the crew.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N600UA
- Reported as
- Douglas DC-6B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 44894
- Airframe hours
- 37,334
- Engines
- P & W R-2800 SERIES, 2,000 horsepower, reciprocatingP & W R-2800 SERIES, 2,000 horsepower, reciprocatingP & W R-2800 SERIES, 2,000 horsepower, reciprocatingP & W R-2800 SERIES, 2,400 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 125
- Operator
- Universal Airlines Inc
- Registered owner
- Race Coast Avaition, LLC.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- AAIP · November 3, 2010 · 98 hours before
- Departed
- PATG · Togiak Village, AK
- Destination
- PACD · Cold Bay, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- PACD · Cold Bay, runway 26, 6,235 × 150 ft, concrete
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 2, 2010
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total · 4,000 in this make and model · 9,500 as pilot in command · 77 in the last 90 days · 38 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 20 knots, gusting 29
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 900 ft broken
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.76 inHg
- Observed at
- PACD
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 5, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 452 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.