Piper PA-44-180 N5331N

Summary

On 24 October 2023 at about 21:15 local time, a Piper PA-44-180 registered N5331N, operated by University of Illinois, was involved in an accident near Savoy, Illinois, United States. 2 people were 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 October 2023 at 21:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Savoy, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Willard Airport (CMI)

Coordinates

40.0380, -88.2765

Aircraft

Piper PA-44-180

Registration

N5331N

Category

Airplane

Year built

2001

Engines

2

Operator

University of Illinois

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN24LA026

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to extend the landing gear before landing and the flight instructor’s inadequate supervision to ensure that the landing gear was extended.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a multi-engine instructional flight, the flight instructor simulated an engine failure at the final approach fix. The pilot receiving instruction focused on maintaining control of the airplane and neither the pilot nor the flight instructor verified that the landing gear was extended. During the landing, they realized that the landing gear was still retracted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage. A postaccident examination of the landing gear system by a mechanic revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The instructor stated that there was nothing mechanically wrong with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.