NTSB CAROL · Event
Event CEN24LA026
Registry · N5331N
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
PIPER PA-44-180
Year of manufacture
2001 · 22 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O-360 SERIES (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
20011216
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A6BE1A
Registrant of record
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s failure to extend the landing gear before landing and the flight instructor’s inadequate supervision to ensure that the landing gear was extended.
Factual narrative
During a multi-engine instructional flight, the flight instructor simulated an engine failure at the final approach fix. The pilot receiving instruction focused on maintaining control of the airplane and neither the pilot nor the flight instructor verified that the landing gear was extended. During the landing, they realized that the landing gear was still retracted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage. A postaccident examination of the landing gear system by a mechanic revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The instructor stated that there was nothing mechanically wrong 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).
- — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Forgotten action/omission-Pilot
- — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Forgotten action/omission-Instructor/check pilot
- — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Gear extension and retract sys-Not used/operated
- — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of checklist-Pilot
- — Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Task monitoring/vigilance-Instructor/check pilot
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2023_CEN24LA026.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (engine failure). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- arXiv 2022 · arXiv preprint
Multi-level Adaptation for Automatic Landing with Engine Failure under Turbulent Weather
This paper addresses efficient feasibility evaluation of possible emergency landing sites, online navigation, and path following for automatic landing under engine-out failure subject to turbulent wea…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Simulation of Liquid Rocket Engine Failure Propagation Using Self-Evolving Scenarios
Traditional probabilistic risk assessment approaches often require failure scenarios to be explicitly defined through event sequences that are then quantified as part of the integrated analysis.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Rocket engine failure detection using system identification techiques
The theoretical foundation and application of two univariate failure detection algorithms to Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) test firing data is presented.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper
Rocket engine failure detection using system identification techniques
The theoretical foundation and application of two univariate failure detection algorithms to Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) test firing data is presented.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
A simulator investigation of engine failure compensation for powered-lift STOL aircraft
A piloted simulator investigation of various engine failure compensation concepts for powered-lift STOL aircraft was carried out at the Ames Research Center.
- Semantic Scholar 2019 · Article (AIAA Scitech 2019 Forum)
Impact of Engine Failure Constraints on the Initial Sizing of Hybrid-Electric GA Aircraft
Potential advantages of hybrid-electric aircraft are fuel savings, lower emissions, and reduced noise. Since these aircraft generally apply multiple power sources, they can also be designed to sustain…
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