N52881 – Cessna 177RG – 2018-10-04 NTSB Accident Report

On October 04, 2018, a Cessna 177RG (N52881) was involved in an incident near Albermarle, NC. 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 pilot's improper decision to attempt a gear-up glide to the runway and his subsequent failure to extend the landing gear before landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to use a checklist before landing.

The pilot in the retractable landing gear-equipped airplane reported that he, "decided to attempt a gear up glide" to the runway. He recalled that he became fixated on the reaching the runway and forgot to extend the landing gear. The airplane touched down and skidded to a stop on the runway.

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage bulkheads.

The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA19CA017. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N52881.