CHI07LA036

NTSB accident investigation · Navion Navion G · Coalton, OH · December 11, 2006

Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
December 11, 2006, 14:07 local (19:07 UTC)
Place
Coalton, OH
Injuries
1 minor
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N33FLNavion Navion G
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report March 31, 2008
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
Federal Aviation Administration
FAA report
20061211029309A
Case key
65051

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Probable cause

The pilot failed to follow the checklist and lower the landing gear. A factor in the accident was the fence post.

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.

Wheels up landingLanding - flare/touchdown
Gear extension - not performedPilot in commandCause
Checklist - not followedPilot in commandCause
On ground/water collision with objectLanding - roll
Object - poleFactor
Terrain condition - grass

Analysis

The pilot reported that the left main landing gear failed to lock down for landing. He stated he was able to keep the airplane on the runway for a distance of approximately 150 feet, where the airplane then exited the right side of the runway. The pilot stated that the airplane's right wing struck a fence post, causing the outboard portion of the right wing to separate from the airplane, and the airplane came to rest on a westerly heading. After the accident, the airplane was moved to a hangar where it was resting on the extended left and right main landing gear and the nose landing gear. During a conversation with a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the pilot stated that he did not extend the landing gear and landed gear-up.

Factual narrative

On December 11, 2006, about 1407 eastern standard time, a Navion Navion G, N33FL, owned and piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage on impact with terrain when the landing gear collapsed during landing at Baisden Airport (4OI9), Coalton, Ohio. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 91. The pilot was uninjured. The flight originated at approximately 1340.

The pilot reported that he was staying in the pattern to perform takeoffs and landings on runway 36 (2,600 feet by 60 feet, turf). He reported that on his first landing, the left main landing gear failed to lock down. He stated he was able to keep the airplane on the runway for a distance of approximately 150 feet, where the airplane departed the right side of the runway. The pilot stated that the airplane's right wing struck a fence post, causing the outboard portion of the right wing to separate from the airplane, and the airplane came to rest on a westerly heading. The pilot reported that he was able to close the fuel mixture and turn off the ignition switch.

An investigator from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) arrived on the scene after the accident. When the FAA inspector arrived on-scene, the airplane had already been moved from the accident location to a nearby hangar. The airplane was resting in the hangar on both extended main wheels and the extended nose wheel. A functional test of the landing gear system was not performed. The inspector noted that the right wing was separated approximately 6 feet in from the wing tip, the left wing was damaged, and the propeller was damaged. The inspector also reported that the throttle was in the full open position and the mixture control was in the full rich position.

In the Aircraft Crash Report supplied by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, scars from the accident airplane's propeller were noted in the ground and continued for approximately 98 feet, ending approximately 150 feet short of where the airplane came to rest.

During a conversation with a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the pilot stated that he did not extend the landing gear and landed gear-up.

Aircraft

Registration
N33FL
Reported as
Navion Navion G
Category
Airplane
Serial number
NAV-4-2449
Airframe hours
3,142.9
Engine
Continental IO-470-4, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · January 1, 2006
Departed
4OI9 · Coalton, OH
Destination
4OI9
Airport
4OI9 · Baisden, runway 36, 2,600 × 60 ft, grass/turf

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
71
Injuries
Minor
Certificate
Private
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land
Medical
Class 3, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
December 1, 2004
Seat
Left
Flight hours
600 total · 60 in this make and model · 600 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
0° at 0 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
46 °F, dew point 28 °F
Altimeter
30.40 inHg
Observed at
LHQ, 39 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.