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CEN25LA361

2025-09-02 · Caro, Michigan, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport CFS

Current FAA registration · N26RJ

Make / Model
PIPER PA-30
Year of manufacture
1969 · 56 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING IO-320 SERIES (150 hp)
Seats / Engines
6 seats · 2 engines
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A27E24

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to remove the tow bar before flight.

Factual narrative

After departure, the pilot noticed the landing gear position indicator light did not show that the landing gear was retracted and the circuit breaker was tripped. He cycled the circuit breaker a few times and it kept tripping. The pilot then diverted to an airport where he normally had maintenance performed on his airplane. While landing, the airplane veered sharply to the right and went through a ditch which resulted in substantial damage to the empennage. After the accident, it was discovered the pilot had forgotten to remove the tow bar he used to pull the airplane out of the hangar. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Inspection-Preflight inspection-Pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Nose/tail landing gear-Inadequate inspection

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_CEN25LA361.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (maintenance). All research papers