- Date
- February 26, 2008, 17:15 local (Feb 27, 2008, 00:15 UTC)
- Place
- Gila Bend, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N318PAPiper PA-44-180
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 28, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20080226012099A
- Case key
- 67586
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 flight crew's inadvertent retraction of the landing gear during the landing roll, and the flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight.
Findings · 2
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
Prior to landing, the student and the certified flight instructor (CFI) had both confirmed that the landing gear down indicator lights were illuminated, and visually confirmed the nose gear was extended by use of an airframe mirror. The pilots indicated that after touchdown the right wing started to drop, and the CFI took the controls, but the airplane veered off of the runway. Before the pilots left the airplane, they both saw the landing gear activation switch in the retracted position. During the recovery of the airplane, the landing gear was extended, retracted, and then extended again. No damage to the landing gear locking mechanism was found. The safety officer of the flight academy interviewed the flight crew and the recovery personnel. After the interviews, it was determined that during the landing roll, one of the crewmembers inadvertently placed the landing gear selector in the "up" position.
Factual narrative
The flight crew inadvertently retracted the landing gear during the landing rollout. The pilot under instruction (PUI) and the certified flight instructor (CFI) had both confirmed that the landing gear indicator lights were illuminated, and visually confirmed the nose gear was extended by use of the airframe mirror. The pilots indicated that after touchdown the right wing started to drop, and the CFI took the controls but the airplane veered off of the runway. As the pilots secured the airplane, they both observed the landing gear activation switch in the retracted position. During the recovery of the airplane the landing gear was extended, retracted, and then extended again. No damage to the landing gear locking mechanism was observed. The safety officer of the flight academy interviewed the flight crew and the recovery personnel. After the interviews it was determined that during the landing rollout and subsequent take-off roll, one of the crewmembers inadvertently placed the landing gear selector in the "up" position.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N318PA
- Reported as
- Piper PA-44-180
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4496134
- Airframe hours
- 4,244
- Engines
- Lycoming LO-360-A1H6, 180 horsepower, reciprocatingLycoming O-360-A1H6, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Pan Am International Flight Academy
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · February 1, 2008 · 13.6 hours before
- Departed
- DVT · Phoenix, AZ
- Destination
- Gila Bend, AZ
- Airport
- E63 · Gila Bend Muni, runway 4, 5,200 × 75 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 27
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 1, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 285 total · 120 in this make and model · 146 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 1, 2007
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,182 total · 241 in this make and model · 1,051 as pilot in command · 211 in the last 90 days · 63 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 2 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- GBN, 6 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.