Piper PA-44-180 accident near Eastman, Georgia, November 26, 2025
On November 26, 2025 at about 3:30 am local time, a 1995 Piper PA-44-180, registered N441HG, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Eastman, Georgia (Heart Of Georgia Rgnl airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructors failure to 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
- November 26, 2025 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Eastman, Georgia · Heart Of Georgia Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-44-180, built 1995 · all PA-44-180s on the register
- Registration
- N441HG · registry record · serial 4496003
- 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 following multiple takeoffs and landings, he failed to extend the landing gear during a full stop landing. The airplane subsequently landed with the landing gear retracted and slid to the left of the runway centerline before coming to rest, which resulted in substantial damage to the lower fuselage. The flight instructor stated that the landing gear warning horn did not activate before the gear up landing. A postaccident examination of the landing gear system did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions or failures 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 › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 854 hours in all; 66.3 in this make and model; 318.5 in the last 90 days; 91.6 in the last 30 days; 752.2 as pilot in command; 467.2 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 15, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 406.6 hours in all; 14.8 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 21.9 in the last 30 days; 311.8 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 25, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,378.7 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 29, 2025; 41 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,800 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Lycoming O-360-A1H6 (piston); 6,375 hours total
- Engine 2: Lycoming O-360-a1h6 (piston); 9,965 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SGL St. Augustine FL at 1:25 am
- Destination: EZM Eastman GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 20, 6,506 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 11:35 pm from EZM
Weather report (METAR): METAR KEZM 260435Z AUTO 21006KT 10SM CLR 20/16 A3007 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The 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
4 documents, released by the NTSB on May 21, 2026. 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 | Police Statements | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record A�� Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 3 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 ERA26LA057.