No fatalities

Pilot Forgets to Extend Landing Gear During Practice Accuracy Landings

Colorado Springs, CO, United States

On February 4, 2012, a CESSNA R182 was involved in an aviation accident near Colorado Springs, CO. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot did not extend the landing 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 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot inadvertently forgot to extend the landing gear while practicing accuracy landings for a checkride, resulting in a gear-up touchdown that caused substantial damage to the fuselage.

Accident Overview

The pilot was preparing for a checkride by conducting a series of practice accuracy landings. During one of these landing attempts, the aircraft touched down on the runway with the landing gear still retracted. This gear-up landing resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage structure.

Pilot's Report

The pilot stated that he inadvertently forgot to extend the landing gear before touchdown. He also noted that he did not recall hearing the landing gear warning horn. He explained that he had become fixated on maneuvering the aircraft to achieve a precise landing point, which distracted him from the gear-down checklist. The pilot confirmed that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the airplane.

Damage

The fuselage sustained substantial damage as a result of the gear-up landing. No other damage items were specified.

Contributing factors

Not used/operatedPilot