No fatalities

Landing Gear Warning Horn Malfunction Leads to Firewall Damage

Bloomington, IN, United States

On May 7, 2016, a CESSNA TR182 NO SERIES operated by BMG AVIATION INC was involved in an aviation accident near Bloomington, IN. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Intermittent fault in the throttle position micro-switch. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 13 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot retracted the landing gear after departure, but a warning horn persisted. After multiple gear cycles, the pilot continued with gear extended. A bounced landing resulted in substantial firewall damage, later traced to a faulty throttle micro-switch.

Incident Overview

A pilot operating a retractable landing gear airplane reported that after departure, the landing gear warning horn continued to sound despite retracting the landing gear. In an attempt to resolve the issue, the pilot performed multiple extensions and retractions of the landing gear. When the warning horn persisted, the pilot decided to proceed with the flight with the landing gear extended.

Landing and Inspection

Upon arrival at the destination airport, the pilot executed an approach that resulted in a bounced landing. After taxiing to parking, the pilot reported the events to the operator. Subsequent inspection revealed substantial damage to the firewall.

Maintenance Findings

Further inspection conducted by the operator's mechanics, accompanied by a Federal Aviation Administration Aviation Safety Inspector, determined that the landing gear warning horn sounded in the retracted position due to an intermittent fault in the throttle position micro-switch.

Probable cause

Intermittent fault in the throttle position micro-switch.

Contributing factors

Causes

PilotDescent rate — Not attained/maintained

Other contributing factors

Inoperative