- Date
- June 10, 2023, 12:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- Watkins, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6886PPiper PA-24-250
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230610009679A
- Case key
- 192424
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 failure to utilize the prelanding checklist to ensure the landing gear was extended 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 reported that shortly before touchdown he noticed the landing gear selector still in the up position. The pilot moved the selector to the down position, but the landing gear were unable to fully extend before touchdown. The bottom of the fuselage was substantially damage during the wheels-up landing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Additionally, the pilot reported he did not use a prelanding checklist to ensure that the landing was extended before touchdown.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6886P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-2022
- Built
- 1960
- Airframe hours
- 4,510
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 1, 2023 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- CFO · Watkins, CO
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- CFO · Colorado Air and Spaceport, runway 8, 8,002 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Handheld GPS, Stall warning system
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
- 78
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 13, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 704 total · 122 in this make and model · 510 as pilot in command · 4.6 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- KCFO
- METAR
- METAR KCFO 101747Z 07006KT 10SM SKC 22/09 A3004=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 31, 2023, 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.
Other investigations on N6886P · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.