Piper PA 46-350P accident near Lake Havasu City, Arizona, September 23, 2025
On September 23, 2025 at about 4:08 pm local time, a 2000 Piper PA 46-350P, registered N462HP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Lake Havasu City, Arizona (Lake Havasu City 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 landing gear before landing due to distraction and failure to conduct the before landing checklist.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 23, 2025 · about 4:08 pm local time · cases in 2025
- Place
- Lake Havasu City, Arizona · Lake Havasu City · 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
- Piper PA 46-350P, built 2000 · all PA 46-350Ps on the register
- Registration
- N462HP · registry record · serial 4636285
- 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 while on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, he deviated from his normal procedure of applying 10° flaps and extending the landing gear mid field in order to expedite his landing due to additional traffic approaching the airport. He added that while on base leg, he moved a personal electronic device (PED) from his lap to the dash. While on an approximate 1 mile final for the runway, as he reached for the landing gear handle, the airplane encountered an “air pocket bump,” and the PED fell and struck his hand. He stated that in his mind, he thought he had extended the landing gear and flaps, however, he did not verify that the three green landing gear indicator lights were illuminated. Subsequently, the airplane landed gear-up, and slid off the right side of the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the lower fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures 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 defining event
- Other weather encounter during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated other cases naming the landing gear
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Attention › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,372 hours in all; 620 in this make and model; 2,372 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 10, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,413.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 4, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 4,350 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney PT6A-35 (turboprop); 2,413 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PRC Prescott AZ at 3:35 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14/3, 8,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 am from KHII
Weather report (METAR): METAR KHII 231555Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 27/15 A2990 RMK AO2=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on November 6, 2025. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo Array | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | 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
- N462HP on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Piper PA-46 Malibu, Mirage, Matrix and M-Class 1,692 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Piper 44,844 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney PT6A-35 2,218 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Lake Havasu City Airport · nearest airport
- Prescott Rgnl/Ernest A Love Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,983 since 1982 · 466 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,422 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR25LA293.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.