No fatalities

10 Apr 2018: PIPER PA34 200 — San Diego, CA

San Diego, CA, United States

On 10 Apr 2018, a PIPER PA34 200 was involved in an aviation accident near San Diego, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot receiving instruction and flight instructor’s failure to properly configure the landing gear before landing, which resulted in landing with the landing gear retracted. 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

During a simulated single-engine approach, a flight instructor misidentified the landing gear warning horn, leading to a gear-up landing. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to both engines.

Overview

A flight instructor and a pilot receiving instruction were conducting a simulated single-engine approach when the aircraft landed with the landing gear retracted, resulting in substantial damage.

Sequence of Events

According to the flight instructor, the pilot receiving instruction was performing a simulated single-engine approach. The instructor set the simulated failed engine to 15 inches of manifold pressure to facilitate easier communication with the pilot. The aircraft's landing gear warning horn is designed to sound if manifold pressure is set below 14 inches. The instructor did not verify that the landing gear was down and locked by checking the three green extended lights.

Just before landing, the instructor heard an audible alarm. He attributed this sound to the stall warning horn, though it was actually the landing gear warning horn. The pilot receiving instruction reported no recollection of hearing any audible alarm. The aircraft subsequently touched down with the landing gear retracted.

Damage

The accident resulted in substantial damage to the airplane's engines.

Instructor Report

The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Contributing factors

Not used/operatedInstructor/check pilotStudent/instructed pilot