Piper PA28R accident near Houston, Texas, July 10, 2018
On July 10, 2018 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Piper PA28R, registered N7716C, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Houston, Texas (David Wayne Hooks Memorial 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 pilot receiving instruction's failure to extend the landing gear and the flight instructor's failure to ensure that the landing gear were extended during landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot receiving instruction's and instructor's failure to conduct a prelanding checklist.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 10, 2018 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Texas · David Wayne Hooks Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28R 200 · all PA28Rs on the register
- Registration
- N7716C · no longer on the register · serial 28R-7635114
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot reported that he was receiving commercial instruction in an airplane with retractable landing gear during a cross-country flight. He added that, while he turned the airplane from the downwind leg to the base leg of the traffic pattern for the runway, he did not perform the checklist, and the flight instructor did not verity that the landing gear were extended. The airplane touched down on the runway with the landing gear retracted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the external longerons on the lower fuselage. The pilot receiving instruction 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 (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Student/instructed pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Instructor/check pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 400 hours in all; 100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ascent Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: T41 La Porte TX
- Destination: T41 La Porte TX
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 17R, 7,009 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 4,700 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 7:07 pm from KDWH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on May 9, 2019. 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 | Record of Conversation - Pilot | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation - FAA | 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.