- Date
- September 3, 2008, 21:20 local (Sep 4, 2008, 03:20 UTC)
- Place
- Almogordo, NM
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9783BCessna 172RG
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report August 13, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20080903844579A
- Case key
- 68901
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 extend the airplane's landing gear before 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
Following a 78-nautical-mile cross-country flight, the pilot forgot to extend the airplane's landing gear before landing. As the airplane veered off the runway the left wingtip impacted the ground resulting in substantial damage. The airplane came to rest in an upright position and the pilot was able to exit the airplane unassisted. The pilot was fatally injured four days later in a separate airplane accident; therefore, an NTSB 6120.1 form was not submitted.
Factual narrative
Following a 78 nautical mile cross-country flight the pilot forgot to extend the airplane's landing gear before landing. As the airplane veered off the runway the left wing tip impacted the ground resulting in substantial damage. The airplane came to rest in an upright position and the pilot was able to exit the airplane unassisted. The pilot was fatally injured four days later in a separate airplane accident; therefore, a NTSB 6120.1 form was not submitted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9783B
- Reported as
- Cessna 172RG
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172RG1033
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-A1D, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Spencer Aviation LLC
- Registered owner
- Spencer Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- ROW · Roswell, NM
- Destination
- ALM · Alamogordo, NM
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- ALM · White Sands Regional, runway 21, 7,006 × 150 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
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,750 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 70° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- ALM
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.