Piper PA-24-250 accident near Aurora, Oregon, January 18, 2011
On January 18, 2011 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-24-250, registered N3TP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Aurora, Oregon (Aurora State 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 lower the landing gear prior to landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 18, 2011 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Aurora, Oregon · Aurora State · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-24-250 · all PA-24-250s on the register
- Registration
- N3TP · no longer on the register · serial 24-2042
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that he entered the airport's traffic pattern for landing and landed the airplane with the landing gear retracted. He said that he did not use a landing checklist, and that he was wearing a noise-canceling headset and did not hear the landing gear caution horn when he reduced the throttle for landing. The bottom of the airplane sustained structural damage requiring the replacement of several bulkheads and associated stringers, as well as a significant area of skin.
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
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,800 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-C1B5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2S6 Newberg OR at 10:00 pm
- Destination: UAO Aurora OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 5,004 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.