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GAA18CA207

2018-04-10 · San Diego, California, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport SDM

Current FAA registration · N4567T

Make / Model
PIPER PA-34-200
Year of manufacture
1972 · 46 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING I0360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
7 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
19720301
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A58BC5

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot receiving instruction and flight instructor’s failure to properly configure the landing gear before landing, which resulted in landing with the landing gear retracted.

Factual narrative

The flight instructor reported, while the pilot receiving instruction performed a simulated single-engine approach, he wanted to be able to communicate more easily with the pilot, so he set the simulated failed engine to 15" of manifold pressure; the landing gear warning horn will sound if the manifold pressure is set below 14". He added that he did not verify the gear was down and locked with the three green extended lights illuminated. He reported that, just before landing, he heard the landing gear warning horn, but attributed it to the stall warning horn. The pilot receiving instruction reported that he did not recall hearing any audible alarm. The airplane landed with the gear retracted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the engines. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The flight instructor reported that the pilot receiving instruction performed a simulated single-engine approach. He wanted to be able to communicate more easily with the pilot, so he set the simulated failed engine to 15 inches of mercury manifold pressure since the landing gear warning horn will sound if the manifold pressure is set below 14 inches of mercury. He added that he did not verify the gear was down and locked with the three green extended lights illuminated. He reported that, just before landing, he heard the landing gear warning horn but attributed it to the stall warning horn. The pilot receiving instruction reported that he did not recall hearing any audible alarm. The airplane landed with the gear retracted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both the wings. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-(general)-Not used/operated - C
  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Forgotten action/omission-Instructor/check pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Forgotten action/omission-Student/instructed pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2018_GAA18CA207.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 (stall). All research papers