N93715

Destroyed
None

BELLANCA 17 31AS/N: 74-32-135

Accident Details

Date
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
NTSB Number
ERA15CA169
Location
Siler City, NC
Event ID
20150328X01936
Coordinates
35.704166, -79.504165
Aircraft Damage
Destroyed
Highest Injury
None
Fatalities
0
Serious Injuries
0
Minor Injuries
0
Uninjured
1
Total Aboard
1

Probable Cause and Findings

The pilot's failure to ensure that the airplane's landing gear was down and locked prior to touchdown.

Aircraft Information

Registration
N93715
Make
BELLANCA
Serial Number
74-32-135
Year Built
1973
Model / ICAO
17 31A

Registered Owner (Historical)

Name
DRGOO ROBERT E
Address
5513 N HAWTHORNE WAY
Status
Deregistered
City
RALEIGH
State / Zip Code
NC 27613-6010
Country
United States

Analysis

During a ferry flight, while turning from downwind leg to base leg of the airport traffic pattern, the pilot became distracted when the cabin door popped open. The pilot continued on the approach and prior to touchdown, advanced the propeller rpm, set the mixture to full rich, and put the flaps down. As he reduced the throttle he heard a horn and thought it was the stall warning horn, but afterwards believed it probably was the gear warning horn, as they sounded somewhat similar. He did not think anything about it as he normally hears the stall horn at touchdown. He stated that he felt like the approach was a little faster than normal and he reduced the power to help to try to slow down. At touchdown he realized that he had not selected gear down. The airplane landed on its belly and when it came to a stop, there was smoke in the cockpit. Then when the pilot exited the cabin and stepped out on the wing to exit the airplane, he noticed flames on the aft side of the right wing. The airplane was subsequently destroyed by a postcrash fire.

Data Source

Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ERA15CA169