Piper PA-24-260 accident near Kansas City, Missouri, March 29, 2011
On March 29, 2011 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-260, registered N8546P, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Kansas City, Missouri (Charles B. Wheeler Downtown airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to extend the landing gear for a landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 29, 2011 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Kansas City, Missouri · Charles B. Wheeler Downtown · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-260 · all PA-24-260s on the register
- Registration
- N8546P · no longer on the register · serial 24-4003
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while inbound to the airport, he had a radio failure and he set up his transponder to indicate the loss of the radio. He received a light gun signal to land and proceeded to land. The pilot reported that he could not confirm that the gear was down. Witnesses at the airport saw the gear up landing. The airplane sustained substantial fuselage damage. The airplane was recovered from the runway and the landing gear operated normally.
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
What happened, in order
- Landing gear not configured during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 385 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 308 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 8, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 15, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TOP Topeka KS at 6:55 pm
- Destination: MKC Kansas City MO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 03, 5,050 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,300 ft; scat at 2,400 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from MCI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N8546P the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.