New Piper Aircraft, Inc. PA-46-350P incident near St. Thomas, December 15, 2003
On December 15, 2003 at about 9:54 pm local time, a New Piper Aircraft, Inc. PA-46-350P, registered N5345S, suffered minor damage in an incident near St. Thomas (Cyril E King, St. Thomas, Vi airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate inflight planning and failure to extend the landing gear, which resulted in a wheels-up landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 15, 2003 · about 9:54 pm local time
- Place
- St. Thomas · Cyril E King, St. Thomas, Vi · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- New Piper Aircraft, Inc. PA-46-350P
- Registration
- N5345S · no longer on the register · serial 4636328
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that, during landing flare, the airplane touched down on the landing gear then rose back up in the air briefly. The pilot stated he held the airplane in ground effect, and when it settled back toward the runway, the gear folded up as they touched the ground. Witnesses reported the gear was extended at touchdown. Examination revealed the left and right nose gear doors were attached to the airframe along the full length of their respective hinges. The right nose gear door displayed no scraping or damage. The left nose gear door displayed scrape marks on the vent fins, as well as one localized scrape mark on the inboard edge of the door. The localized scrape mark corresponded with the location of the nosewheel tire when in retracted position behind the door. There was no damage observed on the nose gear assembly. Examination of the right main landing gear revealed no damage to the gear door or the wheel hub cap. The radar pod beneath the airplane's right wing displayed scrape damage. Examination of the left main landing gear revealed no damage to the gear door, and the wheel hub cap was scraped around its entire center circumference. Functional testing of the landing gear system revealed no evidence of malfunction.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,600 hours in all; 50 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 176.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 4,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KSTT St. Thomas at 9:30 am
- Destination: KSTT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from KSTT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.