- Date
- October 22, 2009, 10:01 local (15:01 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Forks, ND
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N593NDPiper PA-44-180
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 19, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration - Fargo FSDO
- FAA report
- 20091022050499A
- Case key
- 74945
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 instructor's failure to ensure the landing gear was extended prior to landing.
Findings · 2
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 accident occurred during an instructional flight while practicing landings. The flight instructor reported that he became distracted while teaching his student and forgot to ensure that the landing gear was extended before landing. He stated that the landing gear warning horn was sounding before touchdown, but he did not realize that the landing gear was not configured until it was too late. Post accident inspection revealed that several fuselage structural components were damaged during the gear-up landing. The flight instructor reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
Factual narrative
The accident occurred during an instructional flight while practicing landings. The flight instructor reported that he became distracted while teaching his student and forgot to ensure that the landing gear was extended before landing. He stated that the landing gear warning horn was sounding before touchdown, but he did not realize that the landing gear was not configured until it was too late. Post accident inspection revealed that several fuselage structural components were damaged during the gear-up landing. The flight instructor reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N593ND
- Reported as
- Piper PA-44-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4496270
- Airframe hours
- 298
- Engines
- Lycoming LO-360-A1H6, 180 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming O-360-A1H6, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- UND Aerospace Foundation
- Registered owner
- UND Aerospace Foundation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · October 15, 2009
- Departed
- KGFK · Grand Forks, ND
- Destination
- KGFK · Grand Forks, ND
- Airport
- KGFK · Grand Forks International, runway 17L, 7,349 × 150 ft, asphalt
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 14, 2008
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,050 total · 176 in this make and model · 829 as pilot in command · 168 in the last 90 days · 73 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 22
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 8, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 258 total · 26 in this make and model · 70 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 36 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.28 inHg
- Observed at
- KGFK
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 19, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 446 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.