No fatalities

23 Dec 2008: SOCATA TBM 700 — Caterer's Leasing — Clovis, NM

Clovis, NM, United States

On 23 Dec 2008, a SOCATA TBM 700 operated by Caterer's Leasing was involved in an aviation accident near Clovis, NM. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to complete the before-landing checklist, which led to his failure to lower the gear before landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot reduced power to zero while fast and high on approach, then refrained from lowering gear due to speed. The aircraft slid to a stop with gear retracted; no injuries but substantial damage.

Approach and Landing

The pilot was making a straight-in approach to runway 22 at a non-towered airport from the north. With the autopilot engaged nine miles out, the airplane encountered a 15-knot headwind. At 4.2 miles from the runway, the aircraft was still fast and slightly high, prompting the pilot to reduce engine power to zero percent. The pilot reported that he "reserved" lowering the landing gear because the airspeed remained at 185 knots.

Final Sequence

The pilot described the approach as feeling normal until "the next thing I knew we were sliding down the runway." The airplane came to a stop on the right side of the runway with the landing gear still retracted.

Damage and Injuries

There were no injuries among the four occupants. However, the aircraft sustained substantial damage, including to the left rear spar, center spar carrythrough, and aft fuselage structure.

Contributing factors

Not used/operatedPilot