- Date
- March 1, 2010, 07:30 local (12:30 UTC)
- Place
- Greensboro, NC
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N29JSPiaggio P180
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 22, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100301028239A
- Case key
- 75428
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 properly configure the landing gear for landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's diverted attention looking for traffic and manipulating the secondary trim controls.
Findings · 3
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
The pilot stated that after takeoff, he experienced a primary trim failure and continued to the destination using secondary trim. The pilot stated that during final approach his airspeed was too high to lower the landing gear. The pilot "continued working the trim," and was looking for any traffic in the pattern. In the landing flare, he heard "an unusual noise like something scraping," performed a go-around, and realized he had not extended the landing gear. The pilot then extended the gear and landed without incident. Inspection of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the airplane's fuselage.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that after takeoff, he experienced a primary trim failure and continued to the destination using secondary trim. The pilot stated that during final approach, he had difficulty visually locating traffic, and noticed that his airspeed was too high to lower the landing gear. The pilot continued to look for the traffic and "continued working the trim." In the landing flare, he heard "an unusual noise like something scraping," performed a go-around, and realized he had not extended the landing gear. The pilot then extended the gear and landed without incident. Inspection of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the airplane's fuselage.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N29JS
- Reported as
- Piaggio P180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1046
- Engines
- P&W Canada PT6A-6 SERIES, 550 horsepower, turbo propP&W Canada PT6A-6 SERIES, 550 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Franklin Mew
- Registered owner
- Pelham Air LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- GMU · Greenville, SC
- Destination
- GSO · Greensboro, NC
- Airport
- GSO · Piedmont Triad International, runway 23L, 10,001 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 16, 2010
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total · 1,162 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- GSO
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 18, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 601 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.