The flight instructor reported that he and the private pilot receiving instruction had just completed their seventh landing of the morning at the airport in Fort Worth, Texas, in the Piper PA-44-180.
The private pilot reduced the throttle on downwind and the landing gear warning horn sounded so he increased the throttle and continued in the traffic pattern. The flight instructor prompted him to extend the flaps and the student stated that he would extend the landing gear. They “confirmed 3 green,” which would indicate that the landing gear was down and locked.
During the landing flare “no gear warning horn was alarming,” but as they got closer to the ground the instructor observed sparks out of the left window. The airplane slid on the runway, came to rest upright, and sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage longerons.
An FAA inspector completed an extensive examination and functional testing of the landing gear system. With the airplane on jacks, he cycled the landing gear at least six times and determined the landing gear, warning annunciations, and aural alerts operated per the procedures in the airplane’s maintenance manual and there were no anomalies found.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to extend the landing gear and the flight instructor’s lack of recognition and inadequate remedial action, which resulted in a gear up landing.
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This January 2024 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Appears to be an ATP aircraft. Inexperienced students taught by inexperienced instructors rushing through the certification program. I believe the FAA recommends full stop taxi back, but not sure if this would have slowed the process down enough to prevent this.
There have been a slew of ‘709’ rides in the past few years.
The guys “looked without seeing.” They thought they saw three green lights, etc., probably looked right at the indicators (lights) but didn’t “see” them, really, because there’s no way they were “green.” I flew with a guy recently who read a checklist item, but didn’t manipulate the switch or check to see that I did it–he was “reading without comprehending,” I guess I could say. He was reading the words only, no meaning to them. A “GUMPS” check is the same if I don’t actually check Gas, Undercarriage, Mixture, Prop, Seatbelt,” etc. How about an “F” for FLAPS? It’s easy enough to make a mistake if I am in a hurry or when I get tired or distracted. Talking to the other pilot or passenger, or ATC, etc.
Why CFI’s are continuing to have these preventable accidents in beyond my understanding ……
As a pilot instructor, in my 50 years of flying i was fortunate not to have a gear up….
Why does it keep happening…..????
BTW I have logged over 24,000 landings …..a hell of a lot of T/Os and landings over the years….
I could add that the FAA has dumbed down the new CFI by allowing a COMM/CFI to be given with no requirement in a complex aircraft….TAA is not complex…..!
So maybe FAA should look at this……
For a biennial, if the CFI,wants touch and goes I leave the gear down. And fly the plane the same way I have been for the last uneventful 40 years..
Then, it’s okay if a pilot doesn’t think that they have to check gear down before any landing? Really?
If a pilot consciously and mindfully executes checklist items on every flight (not just reading and going through them rote), there should be no problem raising the gear after a “go” and lowering the gear before a “touch.” IT’S PART OF THE CHECKLIST!
People think I’m being silly when I include “gear down and locked” on the landing checklist when I’m flying a fixed-gear airplane.
I think the student lowered the flaps instead of the gear and said “3 green” out of habit. The instructor did not verify and just stated “3 green” back to the student while staring out the window. Big lesson learned for both. Glad everyone was ok.
I believe that the PA-44 has johnson bar flaps. So, no mistaking it. They just didn’t lower the gear.!!
It’s the wheel shaped knob left of the throttles.
‘ another one bites the dust’ ..!!! and a big bill for repairs and 2 engines for the insurance company.
Obviously they both imagined seeing ‘3 green’, when they ere black.!
2 more 709 rides needed.