Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The inadvertent wheels-up landing by the pilot. A factor was the pilots failure to follow the before landing checklist.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On April 17, 2001, at 1650 central daylight time, a Piper PA-28R-180, piloted by a private pilot, was substantially damaged during a wheels-up landing on runway 31 (5,200 feet by 100 feet, asphalt), at the Saint Cloud Regional Airport, Saint Cloud, Minnesota. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 and was not on a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot reported no injuries to himself or to his one passenger. The local flight originated at an undetermined time.
In a written statement the pilot stated that he, "...forgot to lower [the] wheels."
The "Before landing check list" from Section III of the Owners Handbook for the PA-28R-180 states:
1. Fuel - on proper tank
2. Electric fuel pump - ON
3. Mixture - set
4. Prop - set
5. Gear - DOWN & LOCKED (150 MPH MAX)
6. Flaps - set (125 MPH MAX)
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CHI01LA118