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GAA18CA251

2018-04-16 · Suffolk, Virginia, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport SFQ

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to properly secure the portable GPS and antenna cable, which resulted in the inadvertent landing gear retraction during landing.

Factual narrative

The pilot in the retractable landing gear-equipped airplane reported that during the flight, his GPS had fallen from its mount and the antenna cable became wrapped around the landing gear switch. Prior to landing, the pilot applied aft pressure to the yoke to enter the flare and the antenna cable moved the landing gear switch to the retract position. The airplane landed with the landing gear retracted and skidded to a stop on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage longerons and stringers, and the wing-spar carry through. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot in the retractable-landing gear-equipped airplane reported that, during the flight, his GPS had fallen from its mount and that the antenna cable became wrapped around the landing gear switch. Before landing, the pilot applied aft pressure to the yoke to enter the flare, and the antenna cable moved the landing gear switch to the retract position. The airplane landed with the landing gear retracted and skidded to a stop on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage longerons and stringers and the wing-spar carry-through. The pilot reported that there were no 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.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Landing gear selector-Unintentional use/operation - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot - C
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Equipment/furnishings-(general)-Not specified

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2018_GAA18CA251.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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