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Atlas / NTSB / ANC11CA044

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event ANC11CA044

2011-06-12 Cold Bay, Alaska, United States Airport · PACD None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N600UA

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

DOUGLAS DC-6B

Year of manufacture

1956 · 55 years old at event

Engine

P & W R-2800 SERIES (2000 hp)

Seats / Engines

96 seats · 4 engines

Last airworthiness date

19560210

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A7C902

Registrant of record

RACE COAST AVIATION LLC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The flight crew's failure to extend the landing gear, which resulted in an inadvertent wheels up landing. Contributing to the accident was the flight crew's diverted attention.

Factual narrative

According to the captain, while on approach to land, he distracted the crew by pointing out a boat dock. He said that after touchdown, he realized that the landing gear was not extended, and the airplane slid on its belly, sustaining substantial damage to the underside of the fuselage. In the captain's written statement to the NTSB, he reported that there were no preaccident mechanical problems with the airplane, but indicated that the flight crew did not hear the landing gear retracted warning horn. The captain also stated that the accident could have been prevented if he had not distracted the crew. According to the captain, while on approach to land, he distracted the crew by pointing out a boat dock. He said that after touchdown, he realized that the landing gear was not extended, and the airplane slid on its belly, sustaining substantial damage to the underside of the fuselage. He said that the crew did not hear the landing gear retracted warning horn, and the accident could have been prevented if he had not distracted the crew. The captain reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-(general)-Not used/operated - C
  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Forgotten action/omission-Flight crew - C
  • F Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Task monitoring/vigilance-Flight crew - F

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2011_ANC11CA044.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.