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CHI89LA176

1989-08-27 · EAU CLAIRE, Wisconsin, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport EAU

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

INADVERTENT RETRACTION OF THE LANDING GEAR BY THE PILOT. HIS HABIT INTERFERENCE AND LACK OF EXPERIENCE IN THE TYPE OF AIRCRAFT WERE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS.

Factual narrative

THE PILOT STATED THAT HIS INTENTION WAS TO PERFORM A TOUCH-AND-GO. HE REPORTED THAT AFTER A SUCCESSFUL LANDING, HE 'RAISED WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE FLAP CONTROL LEVER WITHOUT LOOKING DOWN . . . I REALIZED THAT I INADVERTENTLY RAISED THE GEAR CONTROL LEVER INSTEAD . . .' THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP ON THE GRASS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY, WITH THE LANDING GEAR UP. THE PILOT REPORTED A TOTAL FLIGHT TIME OF 1,193 HOURS, OF WHICH 4 HOURS WERE IN THE ACCIDENT MAKE AND MODEL AIRCRAFT. HE ALSO STATED THAT HIS FLIGHT EXPERIENCE AND HABITS HAD BEEN DEVELOPED IN AIRCRAFT WITH A DIFFERENT FLAP/GEAR HANDLE CONFIGURATION. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1989_CHI89LA176.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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