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Atlas / NTSB / WPR20CA286

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR20CA286

2020-08-24 Reno, Nevada, United States Airport · RTS None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N926TA

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

NORTHROP F-5E

Year of manufacture

1975 · 45 years old at event

Engine

GE J85 SER

Seats / Engines

1 seats · 2 engines

Last airworthiness date

20220701

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S ACD61E

Registrant of record

TASLO LLC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to complete the pre-landing checklist due to a distraction which resulted in a gear-up landing.

Factual narrative

The operator reported that while the pilot was in the airport traffic pattern, he was distracted by a radio transmission on the common traffic advisory frequency from additional landing traffic at the airport. The operator stated that the pilot continued his approach to landing, with the landing gear still retracted, having not completed the landing checklist. While on final approach, the pilot received a "terrain, terrain" alert, and perceived he was slightly low, and added power. Subsequently, the airplane landed gear up. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer. The operator reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The operator reported that while the pilot was in the airport traffic pattern, he was distracted by a radio transmission on the common traffic advisory frequency from additional landing traffic at the airport. The operator stated that the pilot continued his approach to landing, with the landing gear still retracted, having not completed the landing checklist. While on final approach, the pilot received a "terrain, terrain" alert, and perceived he was slightly low, and added power.  Subsequently, the airplane landed gear up. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer. The operator reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane 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 Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Forgotten action/omission-Pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of checklist-Pilot - C
  • Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Attention-Pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2020_WPR20CA286.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.