- Date
- October 18, 1994, 17:35 local (21:35 UTC)
- Place
- Haymarket, VA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N54VTGrumman G-44
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 5, 1995
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19941018035059A
- Case key
- 38889
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 which resulted in a gear up landing. A factor was the pilot's diverted attention.
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 pilot landed gearup while landing on his private farm airstrip. According to th pilot, 'As I approached the farm, I prepared for the landing by going through the pre-landing check. I elected to wait before putting the gear down. As I approached the landing, I was distracted by the bright sun glaring through the windshield, as the sun was setting, I was distracted, and did not put the gear down. The sun was bright enough that the gear light did not warn me of impending gearup landing.' The airplane came to rest inverted.
Factual narrative
On October 18, 1994 about 1735 eastern daylight time, N54VT, a Grumman G-44 "Widgeon" airplane, landed gearup, and nosed over on a private grass airstrip, at Haymarket, Virginia. Visual meteorological conditions existed. The certificated private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The airplane was substantially damaged. The departure point was Culpeper, Virginia. The flight was operated under 14 CFR 91.
According to the pilot "I left Manassas Airport to fly the fifteen minute trip home to land on the farm. As I approached the farm, I prepared for the landing by going through the pre- landing check. I elected to wait before putting the gear down. As I approached the landing,I was distracted by the bright sun glaring through the windshield as the sun was setting. I was distracted and did not put the gear down. The sun was bright enough that the gear light did not warn me of impending gear up landing."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N54VT
- Reported as
- Grumman G-44
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1277
- Airframe hours
- 3,684
- Engine
- Lycoming GO-480-B1D, 270 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- William C. Latham
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 1994 · 60 hours before
- Departed
- HEF · Culpeper, VA
- Airport
- NONE · Private, runway 33, 1,500 × 150 ft, grass/turf
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
- 61
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 11,832 total · 1,082 in this make and model · 11,000 as pilot in command · 165 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 315° at 5 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.