On February 17, 2006, a Beech 95 (registration N2096C) was involved in an aviation accident near Kingman, AZ. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The certified flight instructor forgot to lower the landing gear and failed to verify its position while distracted by another airplane. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A certified flight instructor forgot to lower the landing gear and landed with the gear retracted after being distracted by another airplane's approach.
Incident Description
A certified flight instructor (CFI) was conducting a touch-and-go landing when he forgot to extend the landing gear and subsequently landed the airplane with the gear retracted. The instructor reported that while setting up for the landing, he became distracted by another airplane that had departed on the opposite runway and made a turn directly into his flight path. This distraction caused him to overlook the gear extension and fail to verify the landing gear's position during the transition through the traffic pattern.
Pilot Report
According to the CFI, the distraction from the other aircraft's maneuver led to his omission of the gear-lowering procedure. He noted that he did not confirm the gear position before landing, resulting in a gear-up landing. The incident highlights the importance of maintaining awareness of critical flight tasks despite external distractions.
Probable cause
The certified flight instructor forgot to lower the landing gear and failed to verify its position while distracted by another airplane.