Douglas A4N CFGZT

Summary

On 17 September 2015 at about 19:41 local time, a Douglas A4N registered CFGZT, operated by Top Aces, was involved in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 September 2015 at 19:41

Classification

Accident

Location

Phoenix, Arizona, United States

Nearest airport

Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (IWA)

Coordinates

33.3047, -111.6533

Aircraft

Douglas A4N

Registration

CFGZT

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Top Aces

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Phoenix → Phoenix

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR15LA264

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s failure to extend the landing gear before landing. Contributing to the accident were the pilot’s distraction during the downwind leg and his difficulty seeing the landing gear indicators due to the sun angle and shadows.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was conducting a test flight. The pilot reported that, toward the end of the flight, he was scheduled to test the emergency generator. When the generator was deployed, the fuel gauge indicated below "0" remaining fuel, and all of the warning/advisory lights illuminated for a few seconds. The pilot subsequently chose to return to the airport to land. The pilot reported that, while on the downwind leg, as he was configuring the airplane for a planned drag-chute landing, he became distracted by something in the cockpit that disrupted his checklist flow, but he could not explain what distracted him. As he turned the airplane onto the base leg, he checked the flap and spoiler positions and the landing gear wheel indicators. He noted that he saw three "jittering wheels" but that the gear indicators were difficult to see due to the sun angle and shadows. The pilot then landed the airplane and deployed the drag chute. The airplane slowed very rapidly and came to a rest on the drop tank, which ruptured, and a fire ensued. The pilot egressed from the airplane and noticed that the landing gear were not down. A postaccident examination of the landing gear system revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot's distraction during the downwind leg and his difficulty seeing the landing gear indicators led to his failure to extend the landing gear before landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.