- Date
- December 12, 2007, 19:29 local (Dec 13, 2007, 01:29 UTC)
- Place
- Muscle Shoals, AL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N112EDPiper PA-31T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report February 28, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 67336
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 lower the landing gear.
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
While conducting an instrument approach, the pilot of a Piper PA-31T crossed the initial approach fix and descended to 2,300 feet, per the instrument approach procedure. Upon reaching the final approach fix, he then selected 1,200 feet in the altitude preselect and almost simultaneously visually acquired the runway and visual approach slope indicator. The pilot then "became distracted," and" forgot to extend the [landing] gear." He then fully extended the wing flaps, but the power setting remained above the "trigger point" for the landing gear warning horn. The airplane touched down with the landing gear retracted and was substantially damaged.
Factual narrative
While conducting an instrument approach, the pilot of a Piper PA-31T crossed the initial approach fix and descended to 2,300 feet, per the instrument approach procedure. Upon reaching the final approach fix, he then selected 1,200 feet in the altitude preselect and almost simultaneously visually acquired the runway and visual approach slope indicator. The pilot then "became distracted," and" forgot to extend the [landing] gear." He then fully extended the wing flaps, but the power setting remained above the "trigger point" for the landing gear warning horn. The airplane touched down with the landing gear retracted and was substantially damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N112ED
- Reported as
- Piper PA-31T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 31T-8020060
- Airframe hours
- 2,823.4
- Engines
- Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-28, 620 horsepower, turbo propPratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-28, 620 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Darby Aviation, doing business as Alpha Jet International
- Registered owner
- E. H. Darby DBA
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · December 1, 2007
- Departed
- FTW · Fort Worth, TX
- Destination
- MSL · Muscle Shoals, AL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MLS · Muscle Shoals, runway 11, 6,693 × 150 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 58
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 1, 2007
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,127 total · 1,500 in this make and model · 8,768 as pilot in command · 79 in the last 90 days · 37 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 340° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- MSL