NTSB CAROL · Event
Event WPR15CA112
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's failure to extend the landing gear prior to touch down. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to utilize the pre-landing checklist.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that prior to entering the traffic pattern, he did not visually verify or confirm that the landing gear positioning lights indicated that the gear was extended and locked. After turning onto the base leg he deployed full flaps and conducted a memorized pre landing checklist; however, he stated that he was unsure if he verified that the gear was extended. The airplane subsequently touched down with the landing gear retracted, substantially damaging the lower fuselage. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot stated that prior to entering the traffic pattern, he did not visually verify or confirm that the landing gear positioning lights indicated that the gear was extended and locked. After turning onto the base leg he deployed full flaps and conducted a memorized pre landing checklist, however he stated that he was unsure if he verified that the gear was extended. The airplane subsequently touched down with the landing gear retracted; substantially damaging the lower fuselage. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine 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-Gear extension and retract sys-Not used/operated - C
- F Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of checklist-Pilot - F
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2015_WPR15CA112.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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