- Date
- August 23, 2023, 15:40 local (20:40 UTC)
- Place
- Bonham, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7122EPiper PA-44-180
- 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
- Federal Aviation Administration, North Texas FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230823021339I
- Case key
- 192944
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 failure of the pilot receiving instruction and flight instructor to follow the landing checklist and 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 flight instructor stated that during a simulated one engine inoperative approach and landing, the pilot receiving instruction chose to leave the landing gear retracted until the landing was assured. The pilot receiving instruction turned the airplane onto a short base leg before final, increased the mixture and propeller control settings, and increased the airplane bank angle so as not to overshoot the final approach course. The flight instructor saw that the airplane airspeed was decreasing and told the pilot receiving instruction that they were low. The pilot receiving instruction increased airplane pitch, which resulted in a decrease in airspeed, a loss of altitude, and a rolling motion. The flight instructor leveled the wings and reduced pitch to regain airplane control and lift. When the airplane was over the runway threshold, the flight instructor did not remember that the landing gear was still retracted and he did not complete the final landing checklist, which resulted in a landing with the landing gear retracted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the underside fuselage longerons. There was no mechanical malfunction/failure of the airplane or system that would have precluded normal operations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7122E
- Reported as
- Piper PA-44-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4496447
- Built
- 2018
- Airframe hours
- 1,870.9
- Engines
- Lycoming O-360-A1H6, 180 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming O-360-A1H6, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- American Flyers
- Registered owner
- Christiansen Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 20, 2023
- Departed
- ADS · Addison, TX
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- F00 · Jones Field Airport, runway 17, 4,000 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Angle of attack indicator, Stall warning system, 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 39
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 30, 2022
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,546.7 total · 182 in this make and model · 1,475.5 as pilot in command · 150.3 in the last 90 days · 47.1 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 18, 2023
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 214.4 total · 14 in this make and model · 139.5 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 106 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- DUA, 23 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 13, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 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.