- Date
- February 25, 2025, 15:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Miami, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N799RXMallory Horton AQUA-BEE
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250225001709A
- Case key
- 199777
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 lower the landing gear before touchdown.
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
At the conclusion of the local test flight of the experimental amateur-built amphibious airplane, the pilot arrived back in the airport traffic pattern for landing. After receiving clearance to land, he arrived over the runway, reduced power and flared for landing, realizing that he had not extended the landing gear when he heard the hull contact the runway. The airplane skidded to a stop resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage/hull. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N799RX
- Reported as
- Mallory Horton AQUA-BEE
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 1981
- Built
- 2020
- Airframe hours
- 157
- Engine
- Chevrolet LS6, 350 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 15, 2024 · 120 hours before
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- TMB · Miami Exec, runway 09L/27R, 5,003 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, ADS-B
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
- 65
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Airline transport, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 15, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 27,394 total · 157 in this make and model · 4,380 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 13 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 11,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.89 inHg
- Observed at
- OPF
- METAR
- KOPF 241853Z 14013G24KT 10SM -RA BKN110 22/17 A2989 RMK AO2 PK WND 13027/1840 RAB47 SLP122 P0000 T02170167
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 9, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.8 MB 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.