Piper PA-28R-201T N38871

Summary

On 20 March 2025 at about 17:40 local time, a Piper PA-28R-201T registered N38871, operated by Arrow Blue N38871 LLC, was involved in an accident near Liberal, Kansas, United States. One person was 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

20 March 2025 at 17:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Liberal, Kansas, United States

Nearest airport

Liberal Mid America Regional (LBL)

Coordinates

37.0439, -100.9600

Aircraft

Piper PA-28R-201T

Registration

N38871

Category

Airplane

Year built

1977

Engines

1

Operator

Arrow Blue N38871 LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Liberal → Liberal

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dawn

NTSB number

CEN25LA133

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to extend the landing gear before landing due to distraction and his failure to conduct the prelanding checklist.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, shortly after takeoff, he heard a slapping noise outside the right front door of the airplane. He determined that the seatbelt was outside the door, and he decided to land to fix it. While on a midfield downwind to the runway, another pilot radioed that he was entering the vicinity of the airport to land. The accident pilot stated that he attempted to gauge the other pilot’s proximity to the airport and prepare himself for a crosswind landing and forgot to complete his prelanding checklist, which included lowering the landing gear. The airplane landed gear up, which resulted in substantial damage to the longerons on the belly of the airplane. The pilot reported that there were no malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.