- Date
- March 18, 2017, 17:16 local (23:16 UTC)
- Place
- Colorado Springs, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N747ABCessna R182
- Defining event
- Approach-VFR pattern final: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 15, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20170318011059A
- Case key
- 94896
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 complete the landing checklist and to extend the landing gear before touchdown.
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 of the retractable-landing-gear airplane reported that, during the approach of a simulated 180° power-off landing, he became fixated on his touchdown point and did not complete the landing checklist. He added that he did not look outside to check that the main landing gear was down or to "confirm a green [landing gear position indicator] light." The airplane landed with the gear retracted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. In a followup e-mail, the pilot reported that he was using an active noise reducing headset during the accident flight. He added that, although the gear warning horn was audible, it did not translate in his brain as a landing gear retracted warning.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the retractable landing gear airplane reported that during the approach of a simulated 180° power off landing, he became fixated on his touchdown point and did not complete the landing checklist. He added that he did not look outside to check that the main landing gear was down or to "confirm a green [landing gear position indicator] light". The airplane landed with the gear retracted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. In a follow up email correspondence, the pilot reported that he was using an active noise reducing headset during the accident flight. He added that although the gear warning horn was audible, it did not translate in his brain as a landing gear retracted warning.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N747AB
- Reported as
- Cessna R182
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- R18201302
- Built
- 1979
- Airframe hours
- 3,931.2
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-J3C5D, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 31, 2017
- Departed
- COS · Colorado Springs, CO
- Destination
- COS · Colorado Springs, CO
- Airport
- COS · City Of Colorado Springs Muni, runway 17R, 11,022 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 4, 2016
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 248 total · 87 in this make and model · 177 as pilot in command · 18 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- KCOS, 1 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 19, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 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.