- Date
- April 18, 2020, 14:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Buckland, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N88TGPiper PA31
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 21, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 20200418006909A
- Case key
- 101236
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 due to distraction by the condition of the runway and his failure to use the Before Landing checklist.
Findings · 5
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 pilot, due to weather in the local area, he chose to conduct a straight-in landing approach rather than overfly the runway. After slowing the airspeed, he selected 15° of flaps, moved the landing gear down, and then selected full flaps. After landing, he realized that the landing gear were not extended, so he checked the landing gear handle and saw that it was in the neutral position and that no landing gear indicator lights were illuminated. The pilot reported that, when he moved the landing gear handle, he must have failed to place it in the full-down position; he added that he was distracted by standing water on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot stated there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation and added that the accident might have been prevented if he had followed the Before Landing checklist and not allowed the distractions and deviation from routine to alter his normal procedures.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, due to weather in the local area, he elected to conduct a straight in landing approach, rather than overfly the runway. After slowing the airplane's airspeed, he selected flaps down to 15°, landing gear down, followed by full flaps. The pilot stated that he was distracted by standing water on the runway, and he failed to confirm the landing gear was in the down and locked position. After landing, and realizing that the landing gear was not extended, he checked the landing gear handle which was in the down neutral position with no landing gear indicator lights illuminated. The pilot surmised that upon selection of the landing gear handle on the approach, he must have failed to place the landing gear handle in the full down position. The pilot stated there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. In the recommendation section of the NTSB Accident/Incident Reporting Form 6120.1, the pilot stated that the accident may have been prevented if he had followed the airplane's checklist and not allowed the distractions and deviation from routine to alter his normal procedures.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N88TG
- Reported as
- Piper PA31 (350)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31-8452020
- Built
- 1984
- Airframe hours
- 6,793.1
- Engines
- Lycoming LTIO-540 J2BD, 350 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming TIO-540 J2BD, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 30, 2020
- Departed
- Fairbanks, AK
- Destination
- AK75 · Buckland, AK
- Airport
- AK75 · Candle 2, runway 20, 3,880 × 90 ft, gravel
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot
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
- Certificates
- Private, Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 24,946 total · 12,330 in this make and model · 24,627 as pilot in command · 196 in the last 90 days · 101 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,100 ft broken
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 37 °F
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 7, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.3 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.