- Date
- September 23, 2025, 09:08 local (16:08 UTC)
- Place
- Lake Havasu City, AZ · runway/airport
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N462HPPiper PA 46-350P
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 6, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20250923014109A
- Case key
- 201728
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 due to distraction and failure to conduct the before landing checklist.
Findings · 5
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 stated that while on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, he deviated from his normal procedure of applying 10° flaps and extending the landing gear mid field in order to expedite his landing due to additional traffic approaching the airport. He added that while on base leg, he moved a personal electronic device (PED) from his lap to the dash. While on an approximate 1 mile final for the runway, as he reached for the landing gear handle, the airplane encountered an “air pocket bump,” and the PED fell and struck his hand. He stated that in his mind, he thought he had extended the landing gear and flaps, however, he did not verify that the three green landing gear indicator lights were illuminated. Subsequently, the airplane landed gear-up, and slid off the right side of the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the lower fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N462HP
- Reported as
- Piper PA 46-350P
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 4636285
- Built
- 2000
- Airframe hours
- 2,413.3
- Engine
- Pratt and Whitney PT6A-35, 560 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 4, 2025
- Departed
- PRC · Prescott, AZ
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- HII · Lake Havasu City, runway 14/32, 8,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Handheld GPS, Stall warning system, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, 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
- 75
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 10, 2024
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 2,372 total · 620 in this make and model · 2,372 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.90 inHg
- Turbulence
- Light
- Observed at
- KHII
- METAR
- METAR KHII 231555Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 27/15 A2990 RMK AO2=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 6, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.1 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.