Socata TBM 700 accident near Memphis, Tennessee, January 26, 2010
On January 26, 2010 at about 11:50 pm local time, a Socata TBM 700, registered N850VM, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Memphis, Tennessee (General Dewitt Spain 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 before landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 26, 2010 · about 11:50 pm local time
- Place
- Memphis, Tennessee · General Dewitt Spain · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Socata TBM 700 · all TBM 700s on the register
- Registration
- N850VM · registry record · serial 507
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he was approaching his destination airport near dusk, and wanted to land before it was dark. The pilot forgot to lower the landing gear and the airplane touched down with the landing gear in the retracted position, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage skin, stringers, and wing attach fittings. The airplane was equipped with a landing gear configuration warning, which activated during landing; however, the pilot mistook it for a different warning indicator. The pilot further stated that he normally used a pre-landing checklist, but was distracted by the deteriorating weather conditions and did not utilize it. The pilot reported 3,079 hours of total flight experience, which included 50 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane.
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 Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear selector › Not used/operated
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,079 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 57 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 2,815 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 22, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 116 hours
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A66D (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FXE Ft Lauderdale FL at 7:15 pm
- Destination: M01 Memphis TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35, 3,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 320° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from MEM, 9 miles away
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.
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.