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Gear-Up Landing During Instructional Flight Results in Substantial Damage

Madera, CA, United States

On September 20, 2012, a PIPER PA24 260 operated by Chester Dee McCarter was involved in an aviation accident near Madera, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The flight instructor became distracted and forgot to 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

During a training flight practicing landings, the flight instructor became distracted and forgot to extend the landing gear. The gear warning horn activated just before touchdown, but the airplane landed with gear retracted, causing substantial fuselage damage.

Accident Summary

The accident occurred during an instructional flight focused on landing practice. The flight instructor reported that he became distracted while teaching his student and inadvertently neglected to ensure the landing gear was extended prior to landing. The landing gear warning horn sounded just before the airplane touched down with the gear retracted. The resulting gear-up landing caused substantial damage to the fuselage structure.

Pilot Report

The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.

Probable Cause

The flight instructor became distracted and forgot to extend the landing gear before landing.

Contributing factors

Not used/operatedInstructor/check pilotStudent pilot

Related events

Same aircraft family

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