- Date
- May 16, 2015, 16:15 local (May 17, 2015, 00:15 UTC)
- Place
- Homer, AK
- Injuries
- 8 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4079HPiper PA 31-350
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 8, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20150516008679A
- Case key
- 91231
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's failure to extend the landing gear before landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to continue the approach to landing while distracted and his failure to complete the landing checklist.
Findings · 4
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
The pilot was landing a retractable landing gear-equipped, twin engine airplane at an uncontrolled airport. While on final approach, an airplane that landed in front of him reported a moose in the vicinity of the runway. An airport maintenance person announced on the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) that he was attempting to chase the moose off of the runway. The pilot became distracted trying to avoid wake turbulence from the preceding airplane and monitor the location of the vehicle and moose and failed to extend the landing gear prior to landing. During touchdown, the airplane contacted the runway with the landing gear retracted, and it slid about 1,200 feet. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot was landing a retractable landing gear-equipped, twin engine airplane at an uncontrolled airport. While on final approach, an airplane that landed in front of him reported a moose in the vicinity of the runway. An airport maintenance person announced on the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) that he was attempting to chase the moose off of the runway. The pilot became distracted trying to avoid wake turbulence from the preceding airplane and monitor the location of the vehicle and moose and failed to extend the landing gear prior to landing. During touchdown, the airplane contacted the runway with the landing gear retracted, and it slid about 1,200 feet. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot stated that there were no preaccident mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4079H
- Reported as
- Piper PA 31-350 (350)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-8152074
- Built
- 1981
- Airframe hours
- 8,438.2
- Engines
- Lycoming LTI0-540-J2B, 350 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming TI0-540-J2B, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- J And M Alaska Air Tours Inc, doing business as Alaska Air Transit
- Registered owner
- Hinterland Holdings LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 10, 2015 · 30 hours before
- Departed
- 7KA · Tatitlek, AK
- Destination
- HOM · Homer, AK
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- HOM · Homer, runway 22, 6,701 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Handheld GPS
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
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 3, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 4,259 total · 238.1 in this make and model · 3,200 as pilot in command · 162.3 in the last 90 days · 52 in the last 30 days · 7.5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- PAHO
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 22, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 917 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.