No fatalities

Landing Gear Retracted During Landing After Pilot Distraction

Hutchinson, KS, United States

On April 15, 2019, a Piper PA28R 200 was involved in an aviation accident near Hutchinson, KS. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure 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

A pilot reported forgetting to extend the landing gear during a straight-in approach due to distraction from increased traffic, resulting in a wheels-up landing and substantial damage.

Incident Details

A pilot of a retractable landing gear-equipped airplane reported that during a straight-in approach, the approach angle was too high. The pilot recalled being distracted by an increase in aircraft operating in the area, leading to a failure to extend the landing gear. The airplane subsequently landed with the landing gear retracted.

Aircraft Damage

After landing, the airplane slid off the right side of the runway before coming to rest. The lower fuselage sustained substantial damage.

Pilot Report

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

Contributing factors

PilotNot used/operated