- Date
- August 18, 2022, 11:30, time zone not recorded
- Place
- Avalon, CA · KAVX
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N52946Cessna 177RG
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 106287
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 before landing, resulting in a gear up landing and substantial damage to the airplane’s belly.
Findings · 3
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
The pilot reported that, while entering the airport traffic pattern, he became distracted by other air traffic. He stated that he failed to utilize his before-landing check list and did not extend the airplane’s landing gear. The pilot landed the airplane with the landing gear retracted, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the underside of the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N52946
- Reported as
- Cessna 177RG
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 177RG1317
- Built
- 1977
- Airframe hours
- 3,791
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 20, 2021
- Departed
- KTOA · Torrance, CA
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- KAVX · Catalina, runway 22, 3,000 × 75 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, ADS-B
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
- 62
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 20, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 2,300 total · 500 in this make and model · 2,080 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 12 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KAVX
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 20, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.9 MB in all.