- Date
- September 30, 1994, 10:10 local (15:10 UTC)
- Place
- Lafayette, LA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6857CLockheed PV-2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 4, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940930032369A
- Case key
- 19177
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 inadvertent gear retraction.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The right seat pilot was instructing the pilot in the left seat for a type rating in the airplane. After the second landing, the PIC in the right seat was configuring the airplane for takeoff and inadvertently pulled the gear handle up instead of the flaps. The pilot also reported that the two handles 'are identical in size, shape, and color. They are located right next to one another.'
Factual narrative
On September 30, 1994, at 1010 central daylight time, a Lockheed PV-2, N6857C, was substantially damaged during landing near Lafayette, Louisiana. The two airline transport rated pilots and a commercial pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local instructional flight.
The airline transport rated pilot occupying the right seat stated that he was pilot-in-command (PIC), held a type rating for the airplane, and was instructing the pilot in the left seat for his type rating in the airplane. The commercial pilot was the crew member operating the radios. The PIC stated that during the second touch and go landing roll while configuring the airplane for takeoff, "I pulled the gear handle up instead of the flaps." The airplane came to a stop on runway 4R and all occupants exited the airplane. The PIC reported spar damage to the left horizontal stabilizer.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6857C
- Reported as
- Lockheed PV-2
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 15-1216
- Airframe hours
- 2,355
- Engine
- P&W R-2800-31, 2,000 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Combat Air Museum
- Registered owner
- Mitchell, Ricahrd T.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Limited (Special)
- Last inspection
- AAIP · September 10, 1994 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- LFT
- Destination
- LFT · LA
- Airport
- LFT · Lafayette Regional, runway 4R, 7,650 × 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
- 46
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 20,000 total · 600 in this make and model · 19,500 as pilot in command · 140 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LFT
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.