WPR10LA441

The pilot failed to extend the airplane's landing gear prior to touchdown at the conclusion of a 2.5-hour cross-country flight. As the airplane slid to a stop on the runway, substantial damage was sustained to the belly skin and a bulkhead. Police officers who responded to the scene observed that the pilot exhibited slurred speech, slow reactions, and poor balance. Upon detecting an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the pilot, they administered a breath alcohol concentration test, which indicated the pilot had a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit for operating an aircraft. The pilot was subsequently arrested for flying under the influence of alcohol-liquor. Examination of the airplane’s landing gear and gear position warning system found that both systems functioned normally.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On August 27, 2010, about 1811 mountain daylight time, a Cessna TR182, N738MP, operated by the pilot, landed with its landing gear retracted at the Spanish Fork-Springville Airport, Spanish Fork, Utah. The airplane slid to a stop on runway 30. Upon examination of its structure, belly skin was observed ground through, and an underlying bulkhead was damaged, thereby rendering the airplane substantially damaged. The private pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The personal flight was performed under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, and it originated from Las Vegas, Nevada, about 1540. TESTS AND RESEARCH A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane. Under his supervision, functional checks were made of the landing gear and the gear position warning system. In summary, the FAA inspector reported that the landing gear extended and retracted normally. With the landing gear fully retracted, the throttle was closed, and the landing gear position warning horn sounded normally. Also, when the flaps were extended to the 30-degree position and the throttle was closed, the gear warning horn sounded normally. No evidence of any anomaly was noted. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Officers from the Spanish Fork Police Department responded to the accident scene. The officers indicated in their police report that by approximately 1925 they had interviewed the pilot and ascertained that he exhibited slurred speech, slow reactions, and poor balance. The officers reported smelling a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the pilot, and they administered field sobriety and breathalyzer tests. According to the police department report, a breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) value of 0.262 was obtained when the pilot blew into their measuring device. The officers determined that the pilot was under the influence of alcohol, and he was arrested at the scene for flying while under the influence of alcohol-liquor. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, from August 27, 2010, through October 12, 2011, the airplane’s registration was in a “pending” status. By a letter dated September 9, 2010, the pilot was advised to submit to the National Transportation Safety Board the required “Pilot/Operator Aircraft/Incident Report,” form 6120.1. As of October 2011, no report has been received by the NTSB. The flight hours recorded in the Aviation Investigation Database Management System’s “Flight Time Matrix” boxes are NTSB estimates.