Cessna TR182 accident near Bloomington, Indiana, August 9, 2011
On August 9, 2011 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Cessna TR182, registered N9281R, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Bloomington, Indiana (Monroe County airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were 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 prior to landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 2011 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bloomington, Indiana · Monroe County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna TR182 · all TR182s on the register
- Registration
- N9281R · registry record · serial R18200678
- 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 he was practicing takeoffs and landings in the traffic pattern when the accident occurred. He noted that he did not follow his normal routine, which was to lower the landing gear prior to extending the wing flaps while on downwind leg; instead he only extended the flaps. After extending the flaps, the pilot noticed that the airspeed was low. He subsequently became fixated on maintaining a sufficient airspeed and did not notice that the landing gear was not extended. Additionally, he did not complete a before landing checklist. The airplane touched down on the runway without the gear extended, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot noted that there were no failures or malfunctions associated with the airplane prior to the accident.
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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 312 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 17 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 229 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 9, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,950 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 19, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 3,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bmg Aviation INC
The flight
- Departed from: BMG Bloomington IN at 10:15 pm
- Destination: BMG Bloomington IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 6,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.72 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from BMG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 N9281R 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.