- Date
- April 10, 2018, 14:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- San Diego, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4567TPiper PA34
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 5, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180410000729I
- Case key
- 97012
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 receiving instruction and flight instructor’s failure to properly configure the landing gear before landing, which resulted in landing with the landing gear retracted.
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 flight instructor reported that the pilot receiving instruction performed a simulated single-engine approach. He wanted to be able to communicate more easily with the pilot, so he set the simulated failed engine to 15 inches of mercury manifold pressure since the landing gear warning horn will sound if the manifold pressure is set below 14 inches of mercury. He added that he did not verify the gear was down and locked with the three green extended lights illuminated. He reported that, just before landing, he heard the landing gear warning horn but attributed it to the stall warning horn. The pilot receiving instruction reported that he did not recall hearing any audible alarm. The airplane landed with the gear retracted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both the wings. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor reported, while the pilot receiving instruction performed a simulated single-engine approach, he wanted to be able to communicate more easily with the pilot, so he set the simulated failed engine to 15" of manifold pressure; the landing gear warning horn will sound if the manifold pressure is set below 14". He added that he did not verify the gear was down and locked with the three green extended lights illuminated. He reported that, just before landing, he heard the landing gear warning horn, but attributed it to the stall warning horn. The pilot receiving instruction reported that he did not recall hearing any audible alarm. The airplane landed with the gear retracted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engines. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4567T
- Reported as
- Piper PA34 (200)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 34-7250136
- Built
- 1972
- Airframe hours
- 7,151
- Engines
- Lycoming LIO-360-C1E6, 200 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming IO-360-C1E6, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 20, 2018
- Departed
- MYF · San Diego, CA
- Destination
- SDM · San Diego, CA
- Airport
- SDM · Brown Field Muni, runway 26R, 7,972 × 150 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 11, 2016
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,239 total · 833 in this make and model · 5,065 as pilot in command · 34 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 15, 2017
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 409 total · 45 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KSDM, 1 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 12, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.2 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.