Northrop F5 N926TA

Summary

On 24 August 2020 at about 17:03 local time, a Northrop F5 registered N926TA was involved in an accident near Reno, Nevada, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

24 August 2020 at 17:03

Classification

Accident

Location

Reno, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

Reno/Stead (RTS)

Coordinates

39.6808, -119.8800

Aircraft

Northrop F5

Registration

N926TA

Category

Airplane

Year built

1975

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Reno → Reno

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR20CA286

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to complete the pre-landing checklist due to a distraction which resulted in a gear-up landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The operator reported that while the pilot was in the airport traffic pattern, he was distracted by a radio transmission on the common traffic advisory frequency from additional landing traffic at the airport. The operator stated that the pilot continued his approach to landing, with the landing gear still retracted, having not completed the landing checklist. While on final approach, the pilot received a "terrain, terrain" alert, and perceived he was slightly low, and added power.  Subsequently, the airplane landed gear up. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer. The operator reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.