Piper PA-30 accident near Houston, Texas, December 16, 2021
On December 16, 2021 at about 11:30 pm local time, a 1964 Piper PA-30, registered N19VS, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Houston, Texas (Ellington Field). It was an instructional 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 instructed pilot and the flight instructor’s failure to extend the landing gear before landing resulting 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 16, 2021 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Texas · Ellington Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-30, built 1964 · all PA-30s on the register
- Registration
- N19VS · registry record · serial 30-144
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that he and the pilot receiving instruction and flying the airplane were returning to land after a multi-engine training flight. As the airplane touched down on the runway, they heard a scraping noise. The airplane settled onto its belly and came to a stop. The pilots exited the airplane and saw that the airplane’s landing gear was not extended. The flight instructor reentered the airplane and saw that the landing gear circuit breaker was popped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage. Functionality tests of the normal and emergency landing gear extension/retraction systems and landing gear configuration light did not reveal any anomalies. The flight instructor reported that there were no other preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Student/instructed pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Student/instructed pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other person › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,576 hours in all; 1,996 in this make and model; 72 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 4,036 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 26, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 287 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: November 20, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,075 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming IO-320-B1A (piston); 2,066 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming IO-320-B1A (piston); 2,066 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 17R, 9,001 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 140° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:20 pm from EFD, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on February 15, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nstb Form 6120 Pilot Operator Report CEN22LA083 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for the Record Landing Gear Funtionality Findings CEN22LA083 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array CEN22LA083 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.