Cessna P210 accident near Maricopa, Arizona, June 16, 2020
On June 16, 2020 at about 7:55 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna P210, registered N117KP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Maricopa, Arizona (Ak-Chin Regional 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 extend the airplane’s retractable landing gear before landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 2020 · about 7:55 pm local time
- Place
- Maricopa, Arizona · Ak-Chin Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna P210 N, built 1978 · all P210s on the register
- Registration
- N117KP · no longer on the register · serial P21000117
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was conducting a straight in approach to the runway in turbulent, gusty wind conditions. During the approach, he did not verify that he had extended the airplane’s retractable landing gear. As the flared the airplane during the landing, he heard the landing gear warning horn, but it was too late to go-around. He subsequently landed the airplane with the landing gear retracted. The airplane's lower fuselage was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical anomalies 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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,535 hours in all; 487 in this make and model; 35 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 1,535 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 18, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,473 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 27, 2019; 153 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,016 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental Motors TSIO-520 SER (piston); 3,626 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FFZ Mesa AZ at 7:45 pm
- Destination: A39 Maricopa AZ
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 22, 4,751 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 5 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 102°F (39°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from A39
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 August 25, 2020. 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 Email - NTSB Meteorologist | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photos of the Airplane | PDF, 3 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.