Globe GC-1B accident near Tucson, Arizona, May 19, 2013
On May 19, 2013 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Globe GC-1B, registered N3802K, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Tucson, Arizona (Ryan Field). 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 touchdown.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 19, 2013 · about 3:45 pm local time · cases in 2013
- Place
- Tucson, Arizona · Ryan Field · 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
- Globe GC-1B · all GC-1Bs on the register
- Registration
- N3802K · registry record · serial 1495
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during the third approach practicing touch-and-go landings, he felt and heard the propeller hit the ground and realized that he had forgotten to lower the landing gear. The airplane touched down on the runway, and skidded to a stop in about 600 feet substantially damaging the lower fuselage. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine 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 oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Configuration › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 27,698 hours in all; 1,300 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 2,100 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 13, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,814 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 17, 2012; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,970 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-360C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: RYN Tucson AZ at 2:30 pm
- Destination: RYN Tucson AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 06L, 4,900 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from KTUS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on June 12, 2013. 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, 12 pages | 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
- N3802K on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Globe GC-1 Swift 426 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Globe 426 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor IO-360C 14 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Ryan Field · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,985 since 1982 · 468 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,422 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR13CA240.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.