- Date
- July 2, 2023, 13:20 local (19:20 UTC)
- Place
- Durango, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7525PPiper PA-24-250
- Defining event
- Landing: 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
- FAA report
- 20230702007509I
- Case key
- 192504
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.
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 he forgot to lower the landing gear before landing, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. He stated that he believed his noise cancelling headset contributed to not hearing the gear warning horn. He stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Following the accident, when power was applied to the airplane, the gear warning horn sounded and when the landing gear handle was moved to the down position, all three gear extended.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7525P
- Reported as
- Piper PA-24-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-2727
- Built
- 1961
- Airframe hours
- 5,003.9
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1D5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 1, 2022
- Departed
- KCFO · Watkins, CO
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- 00C · Animas Air Park, runway 19, 5,010 × 50 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, 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
- 72
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 27, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 27,460 total · 183 in this make and model · 16,200 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.23 inHg
- Observed at
- KDRO, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KDRO 021853Z AUTO 23005KT 10SM CLR 29/03 A3023 RMK AO2 LTG DSNT NE SLP141 T02890033 $
Docket · 3
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.