- Date
- December 8, 2011, 14:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Kaltag, AK
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N300EDPiper PA-31-350
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 28, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA FSDO-01
- FAA report
- 20111208029059A
- Case key
- 82508
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 pilot landed without lowering the landing gear. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's self-reported fatigue.
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
During a visual approach in icing conditions, the pilot retracted the landing gear to prevent ice from building up on the gear. He reported that, as he applied power to abort the approach, he saw the runway and continued the landing. Due to fatigue and other distractions, the pilot said that he failed to re-extend the landing gear and landed the airplane gear-up. The airplane slid into a snow berm, and received substantial damage to the wings and fuselage.
Factual narrative
During a visual approach in icing conditions, the pilot retracted the landing gear to prevent ice from building up on the gear. He reported that as he applied power to abort the approach, he saw the runway, and continued the landing. Due to fatigue and other distractions the pilot said he failed to re-extend the landing gear, and landed the airplane gear-up. The airplane slid into a snow berm, and received substantial damage to the wings and fuselage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N300ED
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31-350
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-7852008
- Airframe hours
- 29,724
- Engines
- IO-540-J2BD, 350 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming IO-540-J2BD, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Warbelows Air Ventures Inc, doing business as Warbelows Air Venture
- Registered owner
- Snobow Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · December 4, 2011
- Departed
- KYU · Koyukuk, AK
- Destination
- PAKV · Kaltag, AK
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- PAKV · Kaltag, runway 21, 3,986 × 100 ft, gravel
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
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 18, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,960 total · 2,360 in this make and model · 5,860 as pilot in command · 177 in the last 90 days · 31 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 21 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.55 inHg
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 9, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.7 MB 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.