Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA-24-260 near Los Angeles, CA — 2017-09-26

Final reportWPR17LA217
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Date
2017-09-26
Location
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Airport
WHP
Aircraft
PIPER PA-24-260
Registration
N9020P
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to extend the landing gear before landing.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was concluding a personal flight. He stated that he lowered the landing gear while preparing to land and felt the airplane's drag increase; however, he could not remember if he got confirmation that the landing gear were down and locked from the indicator light in the cockpit. He stated that the landing flare was normal but that as the airplane continued the landing roll, all three landing gear collapsed. The airplane sustained structural damage to the fuselage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that all the landing gear were in the gear wells. The main landing gear doors were not damaged and only the nose landing gear door had light scratches, which is likely due to the landing gear being in the retracted position as the airplane touched down on the runway. A landing gear swing was accomplished, and no mechanical malfunctions or failures were revealed that would have precluded normal operation.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Pilot did not confirm landing gear status before landing.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

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