Piper PA-24-180 accident near Odessa, Texas, December 13, 2002
On December 13, 2002 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-180, registered N6068P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Odessa, Texas (Odessa-Schlemeyer airport). It was a personal 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 inadvertent failure to extended the landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 13, 2002 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Odessa, Texas · Odessa-Schlemeyer · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-180 · all PA-24-180s on the register
- Registration
- N6068P · registry record · serial 24-1164
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight returned to the airport from the local area and entered left downwind for the runway. During the landing/flare, the pilot realized that he did not have the landing gear down. The airplane came in contact with the runway, skidded 1,000-1,200 feet, then exited the runway into grass, weeds, and soft dirt before coming to rest. The airplane was lifted, the landing gear manually extended, and the airplane towed to the hangar. The lower forward cockpit structures and the firewall were damaged. The 893-hour private pilot had accumulated 282-hours in the same make and model retractable gear 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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 893 hours in all; 282 in this make and model; 686 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 19, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,323 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 12, 2002; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,550 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ODO Odessa TX at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 5,003 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from ODO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.