Cessna TR182 N9281R accident near Bloomington, Indiana

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to extend the landing gear prior to landing.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that he was practicing takeoffs and landings in the traffic pattern when the accident occurred. He noted that he did not follow his normal routine, which was to lower the landing gear prior to extending the wing flaps while on downwind leg; instead he only extended the flaps. After extending the flaps, the pilot noticed that the airspeed was low. He subsequently became fixated on maintaining a sufficient airspeed and did not notice that the landing gear was not extended. Additionally, he did not complete a before landing checklist. The airplane touched down on the runway without the gear extended, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot noted that there were no failures or malfunctions associated with the airplane prior to the accident.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN11CA561 for the full record.