Piaggio Aero P180 N327A

Summary

On 27 May 2023 at about 20:17 local time, a Piaggio Aero P180 registered N327A was involved in an accident near Sugar Land, Texas, United States. 8 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

27 May 2023 at 20:17

Classification

Accident

Location

Sugar Land, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Sugar Land Rgnl (SGR)

Coordinates

29.6173, -95.6561

Aircraft

Piaggio Aero P180

Registration

N327A

Category

Airplane

Year built

2008

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Cabo San Lucas

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR23LA205

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to complete required preflight checklist items and properly configure the flaps for takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that during the takeoff roll, shortly after rotation, he cycled the gear up. The airplane then descended and contacted the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the lower fuselage. The flap control lever and the flaps were found in the “UP” position following the accident. Review of the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) directed the flaps to be set to MID during the before taxi check and to check flaps MID during the before takeoff check. The AFM ALSO stated, in part, “No takeoff authorized without flaps, or with non-symmetrical flap configuration or annunciated flap asymmetry.” The pilot said he could not recall setting the flaps to “MID” position prior to takeoff. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.