Rockwell International 114 accident near Cairo, Illinois, August 9, 2017
On August 9, 2017 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 1976 Rockwell International 114, registered N4986S, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Cairo, Illinois (Cairo Rgnl 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 failure to extend the landing gear before landing, which resulted in a gear-up landing and a runway overrun.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 2017 · about 5:00 pm local time · cases in 2017
- Place
- Cairo, Illinois · Cairo Rgnl · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rockwell International 114 B, built 1976 · all 114s on the register
- Registration
- N4986S · no longer on the register · serial 14019
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane touched down during landing with the landing gear retracted and skidded to a stop in grass about 140 ft past the end of the runway threshold. The pilot reported during a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge that, "it was a simple gear-up landing, I forgot to put the [landing gear] switch down." He added that he was not wearing noise canceling headphones, and he reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The left wing sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported in the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report, "no accident, as specified by NTSB for gear up landing, is admitted."
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
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear selector › Not used/operated other cases naming the landing gear
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,520 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 28, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 3,140 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 735 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MWA Marion IL at 4:30 pm
- Destination: CIR Cairo IL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 20, 3,200 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from KCIR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – Substantially Damaged Left Wing and Aileron
Photo 2 - Substantially Damaged Left Wing
Photo 3 – Overview of Airplane in the Runway Overrun AreaThe 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 1, 2017. 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, 6 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of Conversation (Pilot in Command) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Accident Photos | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4986S: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Rockwell International 114 207 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Rockwell International 657 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 4,223 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Cairo Regional · nearest airport
- Veterans Airport Of Southern Illinois · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Illinois 2,118 since 1982 · 251 in the last ten years
- Illinois 8,070 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/GAA17CA483.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.