No fatalities

22 Sep 2016: NEW PIPER AIRCRAFT INC PA-28R 201 — SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY — East St. Louis, IL

East St. Louis, IL, United States
SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot conducting a soft field landing after four stop-and-go approaches forgot to extend the landing gear, resulting in a gear-up landing and substantial fuselage damage.

Accident Sequence

The pilot reported that after completing four stop-and-go landings under night visual meteorological conditions, he planned to terminate the flight with a soft field landing. As the airplane touched down, he heard scraping and the airplane subsequently slid to a stop on the runway.

Cause

The pilot stated that he forgot to extend the landing gear for landing and did not hear the landing gear warning horn through his conventional (non-noise canceling) headset.

Damage

The fuselage sustained substantial damage.

Mechanical Condition

The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Postaccident Interview

During a postaccident interview with the chief flight instructor of the operator, he reported that the gear warning horn in the accident airplane was normally audible in the cockpit, but does not sound directly through the headset. He further reported that they are in the process of installing a 'supplemental voice' gear warning horn that will sound through the airplane's audio panel.

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to extend the landing gear due to forgetting and not hearing the landing gear warning horn.

Contributing factors

Not used/operatedPilot