No fatalities

4 Oct 2018: Cessna 177RG No Series — Cardinal Air — Albermarle, NC

Albermarle, NC, United States

On 4 Oct 2018, a Cessna 177RG No Series operated by Cardinal Air was involved in an aviation accident near Albermarle, NC. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's fixation on reaching the runway led to forgetting to extend the landing gear. 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

A pilot attempting a gear-up glide to the runway became fixated on reaching it and forgot to extend the landing gear, resulting in substantial damage to the lower fuselage bulkheads.

Incident Overview

A pilot reported intentionally attempting a gear-up glide to the runway in a retractable landing gear-equipped airplane during a recent incident. The pilot stated that he decided to try this maneuver but became fixated on reaching the runway and subsequently forgot to extend the landing gear before touchdown.

Sequence of Events

The airplane touched down on the runway with the landing gear retracted and skidded to a stop. The pilot noted no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the aircraft.

Damage

Substantial damage was sustained to the lower fuselage bulkheads as a result of the gear-up landing. No other damage was reported.

Pilot Actions

The pilot acknowledged that the gear-up landing occurred due to his focus on reaching the runway, which led to the omission of the landing gear extension procedure.

Probable cause

The pilot's fixation on reaching the runway led to forgetting to extend the landing gear.

Contributing factors

PilotNot used/operated