- Date
- December 22, 2008, 17:45 local (Dec 23, 2008, 00:45 UTC)
- Place
- Clovis, NM
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N70LRSocata TBM 700
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Lubbock FSDO
- FAA report
- 20081222852989A
- Case key
- 73184
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 complete the before-landing checklist, which led to his failure to lower the gear before landing.
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
The pilot was approaching the non-towered airport from the north, making a straight-in approach to runway 22, and was using the autopilot while still nine miles out. There was a 15-knot headwind and the airplane was still fast and a little high when 4.2 miles out, but the pilot reduced the power to zero percent and he "reserved" lowering the gear because he was still at 185 knots. The pilot said "the approach felt normal, the next thing I knew we were sliding down the runway". The airplane slid to a stop on the right side of the runway with the landing gear still retracted. There were no injuries to the four persons on board, but substantial damage to the left rear spar and center spar carrythrough and aft fuselage structure.
Factual narrative
The pilot was approaching the non-towered airport from the north making a straight in approach to runway 22 and was using the autopilot when still nine miles out. There was a 15 knot headwind and the airplane was still fast and a little high when 4.2 miles out, but the pilot reduced the power to zero percent and he "reserved" lowering the gear because he was still at 185 knots. The pilot said "the approach felt normal, the next thing I knew we were sliding down the runway". The airplane slid to a stop on the right side of the runway with the landing gear still retracted. There were no injuries to the four persons on board, but substantial damage to the left rear spar and center spar carrythrough and aft fuselage structure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N70LR
- Reported as
- Socata TBM 700
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 225
- Airframe hours
- 840
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-64, 700 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Caterer's Leasing
- Registered owner
- Caterer's Leasing
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 10, 2008
- Departed
- KCAO · Clayton, NM
- Destination
- KCVN · Clovis, NM
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- CVN · Clovis Municipal Airport, runway 22, 6,200 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 21, 2008
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,510 total · 525 in this make and model · 5,255 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 190° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 9 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.82 inHg
- Observed at
- KCVN
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.