Event WPR12CA415

Factual narrative

The pilot, who had just retracted the landing gear on the low wing airplane as part of the takeoff sequence, was advised by one of his passengers that fuel was streaming out from under one of the fuel tank caps. After confirming that there was fuel streaming from under the cap, the pilot, since he had enough runway remaining to do so, decided to abort the takeoff and land straight ahead. Although he was able to get the airplane back on the ground within the remaining runway, the pilot forgot to extend the landing gear prior to making contact with the runway surface, which resulted in substantial damage to one of the airplane’s bulkheads. The pilot later stated that he had not made sure the fuel caps were secure prior to takeoff, and that he should have done a final walk-around to make sure everything was in order. The pilot had just retracted the landing gear after takeoff when he was advised by a passenger that fuel was streaming from one of the fuel tank caps. After confirming that fuel was leaking, the pilot decided to abort the takeoff and land straight ahead. Although he was able to land on the remaining runway, the pilot forgot to extend the landing gear before the airplane touched down, and the airplane’s bulkhead was damaged. The pilot stated that he had not ensured that the fuel caps were secured and that he should have done a final walk-around before taking off to make sure everything was in order. The pilot reported that there was no preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure 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).

• C Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-(general)-Not used/operated - C
• C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Forgotten action/omission-Pilot - C
• F Personnel issues-Task performance-Inspection-Preflight inspection-Pilot - F