- Date
- August 27, 1989, 14:04 local (19:04 UTC)
- Place
- Eau Claire, WI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8886Piper PA-23-160
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 18, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890827035289A
- Case key
- 14409
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
Inadvertent retraction of the landing gear by the pilot. His habit interference and lack of experience in the type of aircraft were contributing factors.
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 pilot stated that his intention was to perform a touch-and-go. He reported that after a successful landing, he 'raised what I thought was the flap control lever without looking down . . . I realized that I inadvertently raised the gear control lever instead . . .' The aircraft came to a stop on the grass on the right side of the runway, with the landing gear up. The pilot reported a total flight time of 1,193 hours, of which 4 hours were in the accident make and model aircraft. He also stated that his flight experience and habits had been developed in aircraft with a different flap/gear handle configuration.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8886
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-160
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 23-1171
- Airframe hours
- 4,406
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B3B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Virgil L. Barnes
- Registered owner
- Barnes, Virgil L.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 25, 1989 · 54 hours before
- Departed
- ANE · Minneapolis, MN
- Destination
- EAU
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- EAU · Eau Claire County, runway 32, 4,999 × 100 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 31
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,193 total · 4 in this make and model · 1,052 as pilot in command · 144 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft overcast
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EAU
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.