- Date
- August 20, 2008, 14:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- St. Louis, MO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N618MAPiper PA46-500TP
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 22, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20080820844199A
- Case key
- 68845
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 pilot's failure to ensure that the landing gear was placed in the down position prior to landing.
Findings · 2
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
While landing at the destination airport, the pilot failed to lower the landing gear. The airplane settled on the runway centerline gear up, departed the right side of the runway, and came to rest in the grass. The pilot was able to egress the airplane without assistance. Damage was discovered to the airplane's left wing leading edge, belly, and fuselage.
Factual narrative
While landing at the destination airport, the pilot failed to lower the landing gear. The airplane settled on the runway centerline gear up, departed the right side of the runway, and came to rest in the grass. The pilot was able to egress the airplane without assistance. Damage was discovered to the airplane's left wing leading edge, belly, and fuselage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N618MA
- Reported as
- Piper PA46-500TP
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4697218
- Airframe hours
- 531
- Engine
- P&W PT6A SER, 750 horsepower
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Differential Leasing LLC
- Registered owner
- Differential Leasing LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · August 8, 2008 · 212 hours before
- Departed
- 16G · Tiffin, OH
- Destination
- SUS · St. Louis, MO
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- SUS · Spirit of St Louis Airport, runway 26L, 7,485 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,000 total · 550 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- SUS
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.