Piper PA-24-260 N8729P accident near Anthony, Kansas

Probable cause

A failure of the airplane’s alternator, which resulted in a loss of electrical power, and the pilot’s failure to use the emergency gear extension procedure during the initial landing approach, which led to a gear-up landing.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that, during the night flight, the airplane’s interior lighting dimmed and he used a flashlight to view the instrument panel. He selected the landing gear down and mistook the reflection from the flashlight as a gear down indication. When he was about to touch down, the propeller tips contacted the runway and the pilot applied power to go around.

During the go-around, the pilot used the emergency gear extension procedure to lower the landing gear; however, the airplane was not able to maintain altitude and he executed a forced landing to a field. During the forced landing, the airplane struck power lines, impacted the field, and slid into large round hay bales that were in the field. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings.

Postaccident examination of the airplane determined that the alternator was not supplying any charge to the battery. The pilot noted that during the initial approach, he should have used the manual gear extension procedure to ensure that the landing gear was in the down position. The reduced performance of the engine/propeller combination after the propeller blades made runway contact likely led to the airplane’s inability to maintain altitude during the go-around.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN24LA060 for the full record.