American Air Racing LANCAIR IVP N451M

Summary

On 29 June 2024 at about 21:45 local time, a American Air Racing LANCAIR IVP registered N451M, operated by Gemini Commercial Properties LLC, was involved in an accident near Midland, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 June 2024 at 21:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Midland, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Midland Intl Air and Space Por (MAF)

Coordinates

31.0000, -102.0000

Aircraft

American Air Racing LANCAIR IVP

Registration

N451M

Category

Airplane

Year built

2005

Engines

1

Operator

Gemini Commercial Properties LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Ferry

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sulphur Springs → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN24LA247

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to extend and verify landing gear extension which resulted in a wheels-up landing. Contributing was the increased workload due to several airplane issues that occurred during the descent in severe turbulence.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was hired to fly the airplane to another airport following a pre-purchase inspection. The preceding pilot informed the pilot of several issues with the airplane including the propeller control and the cabin door. The pilot said he familiarized himself with the airplane and after about three hours of inspections and ground tests determined the airplane was in a safe condition and proceeded with the flight. He reported that during the descent to the destination airport, the turbulence became severe, noting that his head hit the cabin roof twice even though the lap seat belt was secured. The cockpit was loud and as he advanced the throttle after lowering the flaps 10 degrees, the cabin noise increased, and the propeller indications became erratic. Several engine instruments were giving erratic readings as well and the pilot was additionally concerned about the cabin door latches becoming loose in the turbulence. The airplane was operating properly and after a minute the propeller indications stabilized. All these events added to his workload. The pilot said that while approaching to land and after lowering the flaps, he reached for the landing gear handle, noting that these checks were performed in severe turbulence. He visually confirmed that the flaps were fully extended by looking out the side window and believed that he looked at the gear indicator lights but didn’t clearly remember this. He also did not remember shading the landing gear position indicator with his hand as he had done previously. During the landing, the airplane settled onto its belly and the airplane slid to a stop. He noted that after the accident, the landing gear handle and flap handle were both in the mid-position. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. When the airplane was being recovered from the runway, aircraft power was turned on and the landing gear selector placed in the fully down position. The landing gear extended and locked into the fully extended position with no anomalies noted.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.