On October 19, 1986, a Cessna 501 (registration N2BT) was involved in an aviation accident near Little Rock, AR. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot stated that poor crew coordination and high approach speed contributed to the gear-up landing. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot landed a Boeing 727 with the landing gear retracted after a high-speed approach requested by ATC, during which the gear warning horn was disabled and the landing checklist was not completed.
Incident Overview
The pilot of a Boeing 727 reported that approach control instructed him to fly a faster-than-normal approach to the outer marker for an instrument landing system (ILS) approach. Approach control indicated that a Boeing 727 was number two for the approach and directed the pilot to maintain 230 knots until further advised. The pilot complied with this request.
Sequence of Events
After passing the outer marker, the pilot initiated a deceleration by retarding the throttles and deploying the spoilers. The distance available to slow the aircraft from the outer marker was 4.2 miles. During this phase, the pilot disabled the landing gear warning horn when he retarded the throttles and did not reset it for the remainder of the approach. The landing gear was not extended, and the landing checklist was not completed prior to the aircraft contacting the runway.
Pilot Statement
The pilot stated that poor crew coordination and the high speed during the approach contributed to the gear-up landing.
Probable cause
The pilot stated that poor crew coordination and high approach speed contributed to the gear-up landing.