Piper Aircraft INC PA-44-180 accident near Bonham, Texas, August 23, 2023
On August 23, 2023 at about 8:40 pm local time, a 2018 Piper Aircraft INC PA-44-180, registered N7122E, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Bonham, Texas (Jones Field Airport). 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the pilot receiving instruction and flight instructor to follow the landing checklist and extend the landing gear before landing
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 2023 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Bonham, Texas · Jones Field Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper Aircraft INC PA-44-180, built 2018
- Registration
- N7122E · registry record · serial 4496447
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor stated that during a simulated one engine inoperative approach and landing, the pilot receiving instruction chose to leave the landing gear retracted until the landing was assured. The pilot receiving instruction turned the airplane onto a short base leg before final, increased the mixture and propeller control settings, and increased the airplane bank angle so as not to overshoot the final approach course. The flight instructor saw that the airplane airspeed was decreasing and told the pilot receiving instruction that they were low. The pilot receiving instruction increased airplane pitch, which resulted in a decrease in airspeed, a loss of altitude, and a rolling motion. The flight instructor leveled the wings and reduced pitch to regain airplane control and lift. When the airplane was over the runway threshold, the flight instructor did not remember that the landing gear was still retracted and he did not complete the final landing checklist, which resulted in a landing with the landing gear retracted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the underside fuselage longerons. There was no mechanical malfunction/failure of the airplane or system that would have precluded normal operations.
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
- Simulated/training event during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › (general) › Not used/operated
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Student/instructed pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,546.7 hours in all; 182 in this make and model; 150.3 in the last 90 days; 47.1 in the last 30 days; 1,475.5 as pilot in command; 1,209.1 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 30, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 214.4 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 139.5 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 18, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,870.9 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 20, 2023
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming O-360-A1H6 (piston); 1,871 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming O-360-A1H6 (piston); 1,871 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ADS Addison TX at 7:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 106°F (41°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 3:35 pm from DUA, 23 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 |
Other NTSB records under N7122E the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN23LA382.