Douglas A4N accident near Phoenix, Arizona, September 17, 2015
On September 17, 2015 at about 7:41 pm local time, a Douglas A4N, registered CFGZT, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Phoenix, Arizona (Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport). It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. 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. Contributing to the accident were the pilot’s distraction during the downwind leg and his difficulty seeing the landing gear indicators due to the sun angle and shadows.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 17, 2015 · about 7:41 pm local time
- Place
- Phoenix, Arizona · Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas A4N · all A4Ns on the register
- Registration
- CFGZT · no longer on the register · serial 14542
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot was conducting a test flight. The pilot reported that, toward the end of the flight, he was scheduled to test the emergency generator. When the generator was deployed, the fuel gauge indicated below "0" remaining fuel, and all of the warning/advisory lights illuminated for a few seconds. The pilot subsequently chose to return to the airport to land. The pilot reported that, while on the downwind leg, as he was configuring the airplane for a planned drag-chute landing, he became distracted by something in the cockpit that disrupted his checklist flow, but he could not explain what distracted him. As he turned the airplane onto the base leg, he checked the flap and spoiler positions and the landing gear wheel indicators. He noted that he saw three "jittering wheels" but that the gear indicators were difficult to see due to the sun angle and shadows. The pilot then landed the airplane and deployed the drag chute. The airplane slowed very rapidly and came to a rest on the drop tank, which ruptured, and a fire ensued. The pilot egressed from the airplane and noticed that the landing gear were not down. A postaccident examination of the landing gear system revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot's distraction during the downwind leg and his difficulty seeing the landing gear indicators led to his failure to extend the landing gear before landing.
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 › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Workload management › (general) › Pilot
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › (general) › Effect on personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, foreign licence
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,150 hours in all; 3,002 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 7,520 as pilot in command; 1,728 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 11, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,339 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, August 10, 2015; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 24,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney J52-P408 (turbojet); 3,339 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: IWA Phoenix AZ at 5:15 pm
- Destination: IWA Phoenix AZ
- Flight plan: VFR then IFR
- Runway 12L, 9,300 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 45 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 14,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from IWA
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 April 13, 2016. 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 | Record of Conversation - FAA Inspector | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | On Scene Photos - Courtesy of Airport Operations | PDF, 2 pages | 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.