- Date
- May 7, 1992, 11:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Valentine, NE
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N143ACPiper PA-23-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920507018089I
- Case key
- 15325
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
The failure of the pilot in command to extend the landing gear and the inattentive FAA inspector (check airman). Associated factors are the inoperative landing gear warning system, the inadequate preflight inspection by the pilot and FAA inspector, and the pilot's failure to use a checklist.
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 gear up during a commercial air taxi flight check conducted by an FAA inspector. The gear up landing followed a discussion in the traffic pattern of the emergency landing gear extension procedures. The commercial pilot flying the airplane reported that he placed the gear lever in the down position, but failed to check for the three green landing gear down lights which indicate the gear locked down. The FAA inspector also does not recall looking at the landing gear indication lights prior to landing. Neither pilot remembers hearing a gear warning horn or seeing the flashing gear not extended light in the landing gear selector handle. Post accident inspection disclosed the gear light was operating intermittently, and the gear warning horn would sound only if the left engine throttle was retarded to the stop with considerable back pressure. The three green gear locked lights worked satisfactorily.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N143AC
- Reported as
- Piper PA-23-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 23-7304989
- Airframe hours
- 7,400
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-C4B5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Wm. J. Kerr/Robt. Kilmer
- Registered owner
- Wm. J. Kerr/Robt. Kilmer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 15, 1991 · 74 hours before
- Airport
- VTN · Miller Field, runway 2, 2,800 × 50 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
- 63
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 20,000 total · 700 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.