Piper PA-44-180 accident near Melbourne, Arkansas, July 15, 2025
On July 15, 2025 at about 9:30 pm local time, a 2005 Piper PA-44-180, registered N935ER, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Melbourne, Arkansas (Melbourne Muni/John e Miller F 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight crew’s failure to use the airplane pre-landing checklist and failure to extend the airplane’s landing gear before landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 15, 2025 · about 9:30 pm local time · cases in 2025
- Place
- Melbourne, Arkansas · Melbourne Muni/John e Miller F · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-44-180, built 2005 · all PA-44-180s on the register
- Registration
- N935ER · registry record · serial 4496195
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and the student were conducting a simulated single engine approach to landing when the accident occurred. During the landing approach, the flight instructor was monitoring other aircraft traffic in the area, and the student asked the instructor a question, which distracted the instructor from performing his normal prelanding checks and verifying that the airplane’s retractable landing gear was extended. As the approach continued, neither the student nor flight instructor noticed that the landing gear was not extended. The airplane landed with the landing gear in the retracted position. The airplane received substantial damage to the structural external longerons on the bottom of the fuselage. As a result of the accident, the flight school implemented additional training for instructors and students regarding checklist usage and additional crew procedures have been implemented to verify landing gear extension prior to landing. Additionally, the review of the accident will be included in future safety meetings.
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 (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Flight crew
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated other cases naming the landing gear
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,386 hours in all; 108 in this make and model; 129 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days; 1,266 as pilot in command; 1,017 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 13, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 317 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 182 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 6, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,857 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 30, 2025; 64 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming O-360-A1H6 (piston); 9,204 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming LO-360-A1H6 (piston); 8,352 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 03/2, 4,003 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from KBVX, 23 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KBVX 152056Z AUTO 23009KT 10SM FEW100 31/24 A2998 RMK AO2 LTG DSNT S SLP149 T03060239 55012=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Damage to fuselage external longeron
Photograph 2 – Damage to right fuselage external longeron
Photograph 3 – Damage to left fuselage external longeronThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on November 14, 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Ozarka College - Director of Aviation - Report of Accident, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Accident Photographs | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N935ER on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-44 Seminole 603 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,840 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1H6 106 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: Lycoming LO-360-A1H6 9 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Melbourne Muni/John E Miller Field · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Arkansas 1,582 since 1982 · 177 in the last ten years
- Arkansas 3,491 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN25LA253.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.