- Date
- August 16, 2004, 09:15 local (16:15 UTC)
- Place
- Bullhead City, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N54RRRockwell 112TC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 28, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20040816019429A
- Case key
- 60005
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 extend the landing gear prior to landing. Factors in the accident were the pilot's failure to use a checklist and to verify that the gear were extended.
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 airplane landed gear up. In an effort to make the approach faster, the pilot opted to leave the landing gear retracted for the initial approach. During the landing flare, the airplane touched down on the bottom of the fuselage, and the pilot realized that he had forgotten to extend the landing gear. The pilot further stated that he did not use a physical checklist prior to landing. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane prior to impact.
Factual narrative
On August 16, 2004, about 0915 mountain standard time, a Rockwell Commander 112TC, N54RR, landed gear up at Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport, Bullhead City, Arizona. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed. The personal cross-country flight originated from Henderson Executive Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada, about 0835 Pacific daylight time, with a planned destination of Bullhead City.
In a telephone conversation with a National Transporation Safety Board investigator, the pilot reported that he was attempting to land on runway 16. In an effort to make the approach faster, he opted to leave the landing gear retracted for the initial approach. He mentally preformed a prelanding checklist "GUMPS," which included checking the gas, undercarriage, mixture, and propeller. During the landing flare, the airplane touched down on the bottom of the fuselage, and the pilot realized that he had forgotten to extend the landing gear.
The pilot further stated that he did not use a physical checklist prior to landing. He also noted that he did not hear the gear warning horn sound, which he thought was a result of using external noise cancellation headsets. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane prior to impact.
The accident was upgraded from an incident on August 24, 2004. The airplane incurred damage to the wing carry-though spar and possibly the fuselage aft bulkhead.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N54RR
- Reported as
- Rockwell 112TC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 13107
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-C1A6D, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- HND · Las Vegas, NV
- Destination
- IFP · Bullhead City, AZ
- Airport
- IFP · Laughlin/Bullhead Internationa, runway 16
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
- 63
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3
- Flight hours
- 497 total · 382 in this make and model · 37 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.