- Date
- October 11, 2012, 12:04 local (16:04 UTC)
- Place
- Mobile, AL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4939VCessna 172RG
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 13, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20121011023819A
- Case key
- 85356
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 perform the before landing checklist and extend the landing gear before touchdown. Contributing to the accident was the designated pilot examiner’s inadequate remedial action.
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
According to the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to complete a commercial single-engine land checkride with a designated pilot examiner. During the straight-in landing approach, the pilot selected full flaps and reduced the engine power to idle in order to descend but did not use the before landing checklist and did not extend the landing gear. When the airplane was over the runway threshold, the pilot verified that the throttle was at idle and began to flare. Neither the pilot nor the designated pilot examiner verified that the landing gear was extended before the landing. The airplane landed on the runway without the landing gear extended, which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. Both pilots reported that they did not hear the landing gear warning horn before landing. According to a mechanic, when the battery switch was turned on during the recovery of the airplane, the landing gear warning horn sounded normally. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. In addition, the pilot noted that the accident could have been prevented if he had completed the before landing checklist.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to complete a commercial single-engine land checkride with a designated pilot examiner. During the straight in landing approach, the pilot selected full flaps and reduced the engine power to idle in order to descend, but did not use the before landing checklist and did not extend the landing gear. Over the runway threshold, the pilot verified the throttle was at idle and began to flare the airplane. Prior to landing, the designated pilot examiner did not verify that the landing gear was extended. Subsequently, the airplane landed on the runway without the landing gear extended which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. Both pilots reported that they did not hear the landing gear warning horn prior to landing without the landing gear extended. According to a mechanic, during the recovery of the airplane, when the battery switch was turned on, the landing gear warning horn sounded. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. In addition, pilot noted that the before landing checklist was not completed and the accident could have been prevented if it had been completed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4939V
- Reported as
- Cessna 172RG
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 172RG0420
- Airframe hours
- 6,290
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-E1A6, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Flight Training Of Mobile LLC
- Registered owner
- Flight Training Of Mobile LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 4, 2012
- Departed
- BFM · Mobile, AL
- Destination
- BFM · Mobile, AL
- Airport
- BFM · Mobile Downtown Airport, runway 32, 9,618 × 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 23
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 16, 2011
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 343 total · 17 in this make and model · 238 as pilot in command
- Role
- Check pilot
- Age
- 68
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 16,000 total · 400 in this make and model · 90 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.26 inHg
- Observed at
- BFM
Docket · 7
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 1, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.