Piper PA32R accident near Caddo Mills, Texas, June 13, 2018
On June 13, 2018 at about 11:35 pm local time, a 1980 Piper PA32R, registered N82303, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Caddo Mills, Texas (Caddo Mills Muni 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 student pilot’s failure to extend the landing gear before landing and to follow the Before Landing checklist, which resulted in an attempted go-around and subsequent hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 13, 2018 · about 11:35 pm local time
- Place
- Caddo Mills, Texas · Caddo Mills Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA32R 301T, built 1980 · all PA32Rs on the register
- Registration
- N82303 · registry record · serial 32R-8029103
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo student pilot reported that, during the landing flare, the gear-retracted warning horn sounded. The propeller struck the ground, and he applied full throttle and initiated a go-around. The engine began "bucking," so he decided to lower the landing gear and land on the remaining runway. He applied forward pressure to the yoke to level the airplane, but the airplane touched down hard and came to rest upright, off the left side of the runway. The student reported that he should have verified the configuration of the landing gear before landing. He added that he did not use a prelanding checklist. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane 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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing
- Runway excursion during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 102 hours in all; 52 in this make and model; 39 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days; 32 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,939 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-S1AD (piston); 3,000 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1F7 Dallas TX at 9:20 pm
- Destination: 1F7 Dallas TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 4,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 11:30 am from KGVT, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on November 5, 2018. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.