- Date
- September 7, 2005, 15:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fertile, MN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N291NDPiper PA-44-180
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 20, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration - Minneapolis FSDO
- FAA report
- 20050907024109A
- Case key
- 62600
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 flightcrew's failure to extend the landing gear prior to touchdown, and the flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The airplane landed with the landing gear retracted during an instructional flight. The flight instructor reported that they were working on single-engine approaches and landings when the accident occurred. The flight instructor stated that a "midfield check was done and said, but was not verified." The flight instructor reported that "since we had heard the gear warning horn for so long during the airwork, I no longer noticed anymore." The flight instructor stated that they "did not do our final landing check" and that the airplane landed with "the gear in the up position."
Factual narrative
On September 7, 2005, at 1530 central daylight time, a Piper PA-44-180 (Seminole), N291ND, owned and operated by the University of North Dakota, was substantially damaged during a wheels-up landing on runway 32 (3,002 feet by 60 feet, asphalt) at the Fertile Municipal Airport (D14), Fertile, Minnesota. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot and flight instructor were not injured. The instructional flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 without a flight plan. The flight departed Grand Forks International Airport (GFK), Grand Forks, North Dakota, around 1400 and was operating in the traffic pattern at D14 when the accident occurred.
The flight instructor reported that they were working on single-engine approaches and landings when the accident occurred. The flight instructor stated that a "midfield check was done and said, but was not verified." The flight instructor reported that "since we had heard the gear warning horn for so long during the airwork, I no longer noticed anymore." The flight instructor stated that they "did not do our final landing check" and that the airplane landed with "the gear in the up position."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N291ND
- Reported as
- Piper PA-44-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 446022
- Airframe hours
- 4,860.6
- Engines
- Lycoming LO-360-A1H6, 180 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming O-360-A1H6, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- University of North Dakota
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · August 1, 2005 · 32.3 hours before
- Departed
- GFK · Grand Forks, ND
- Destination
- D14 · Fertile, MN
- Airport
- D14 · Fertile Municipal Airport, runway 32, 3,002 × 60 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
- 22
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 1, 2003
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 772 total · 57 in this make and model · 551 as pilot in command · 154 in the last 90 days · 53 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 20
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 1, 2004
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 172 total · 2 in this make and model · 23 as pilot in command · 15 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.23 inHg
- Observed at
- FSE, 22 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.