Epic Aircraft LLC E1000 accident near Arcola, Texas, January 23, 2025
On January 23, 2025 at about 4:50 am local time, a 2024 Epic Aircraft LLC E1000, registered N44BN, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Arcola, Texas (Houston Southwest Airport). It was a business 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 airplane’s landing gear before landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 23, 2025 · about 4:50 am local time
- Place
- Arcola, Texas · Houston Southwest Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Epic Aircraft LLC E1000, built 2024 · all E1000s on the register
- Registration
- N44BN · registry record · serial K077
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he thought he put the landing gear down on the base leg of the traffic pattern before the landing. It was dark with no wind and his approach and landing flare were normal with no indication of any issues until the airplane began to vibrate and he heard noise from the propeller and saw sparks. The pilot realized he had forgotten to extend the landing gear. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage. The pilot said that thinking back on the sequence of events that he could not recall hearing any type of aural warning from the avionics indicating that the landing gear was not extended. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures 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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,452 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 72 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: December 6, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 40 hours
- Maximum gross weight: 8,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6 (turboprop); 40 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KCRQ Carlsbad CA at 8:31 pm
- Destination: KAXH Houston TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27, 5,002 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.37 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from KAXH
Weather report (METAR): KAXH 230255Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 00/M01 A3037 RMK AO2 T00041009
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on March 20, 2025. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 4 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.