- Date
- June 13, 2018, 18:35 local (23:35 UTC)
- Place
- Caddo Mills, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N82303Piper PA32R
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 18, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180613007829A
- Case key
- 97477
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 student pilot’s failure to extend the landing gear before landing and to follow the Before Landing checklist, which resulted in an attempted go-around and subsequent hard landing.
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 solo student pilot reported that, during the landing flare, the gear-retracted warning horn sounded. The propeller struck the ground, and he applied full throttle and initiated a go-around. The engine began "bucking," so he decided to lower the landing gear and land on the remaining runway. He applied forward pressure to the yoke to level the airplane, but the airplane touched down hard and came to rest upright, off the left side of the runway. The student reported that he should have verified the configuration of the landing gear before landing. He added that he did not use a prelanding checklist. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The solo student, pilot reported that, during the landing flare, the gear-retracted warning horn sounded. The propeller struck the ground and he applied full throttle and initiated a go-around. The engine began "bucking," so he decided to lower the landing gear and land on the remaining runway. He applied forward pressure to the yoke to level the airplane, but the airplane touched down hard and came to rest upright, off the left side of the runway. The student recommended on the NTSB form 6120.1 that he should have verified the configuration of the landing gear prior to landing. He added that he did not use a pre-landing checklist. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N82303
- Reported as
- Piper PA32R (301T)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32R-8029103
- Built
- 1980
- Airframe hours
- 2,939
- Engine
- Lycoming TIO-540-S1AD, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 1, 2018
- Departed
- 1F7 · Dallas, TX
- Destination
- 1F7 · Dallas, TX
- Airport
- 7F3 · Caddo Mills Muni, runway 18, 4,000 × 75 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 102 total · 52 in this make and model · 32 as pilot in command · 39 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- KGVT, 9 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 5, 2018, 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.