On February 13, 2001, a Cessna 441 (registration N24PT) was involved in an aviation accident near Englewood, CO. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: the pilot's failure to verify that the landing gear was down and locked before landing, which resulted in a wheels-up landing. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot reported landing gear collapse on touchdown after placing the gear handle down. The gear warning horn did not sound. Post-accident checks found no faults when cycling gear 20 times.
Event Details
The pilot was cleared to land and placed the landing gear handle in the DOWN position. Upon touchdown, the landing gear collapsed. The pilot noted that the landing gear warning horn never sounded during the approach.
Pilot Report
The pilot recounted that on the previous flight, the flaps required multiple cycles to extend, and after landing, the flaps could not be retracted. This suggests a possible recurring issue with the aircraft's hydraulic or mechanical systems, though the specific relationship to the gear collapse was not determined.
Post-Accident Examination
A post-accident examination revealed that the landing gear doors were closed and bore no damage. The aircraft was placed on jacks and an external hydraulic power unit was connected. The landing gear was cycled up and down 20 times without any faults detected. The hydraulic system appeared to function normally during testing.