Summary
On September 20, 2012, a Piper PA24 (N8648P) was involved in an incident near Madera, CA. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The student's and flight instructor’s failure to ensure that the landing gear was extended prior to landing.
The accident occurred during an instructional flight while practicing landings. The flight instructor reported that he became distracted while teaching his student and forgot to ensure that the landing gear was extended before landing. He stated that the landing gear warning horn came on just before the airplane landed gear up, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage structure. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
This incident is documented in NTSB report WPR12CA435. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N8648P.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The student's and flight instructor’s failure to ensure that the landing gear was extended prior to landing.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
The accident occurred during an instructional flight while practicing landings. The flight instructor reported that he became distracted while teaching his student and forgot to ensure that the landing gear was extended before landing. He stated that the landing gear warning horn came on just before the airplane landed gear up, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage structure. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# WPR12CA435