Piper PA24 N6696P accident near Wendover, Utah

Probable cause

Failure of the landing gear solenoid, which resulted in failure of the landing gear position switch, and the pilot's subsequent inability to extend the gear using the manual emergency extension system for undetermined reasons.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that, during approach for landing at the conclusion of the cross-country flight, the airplane's landing gear would not fully extend. The pilot subsequently actuated the hand emergency landing gear release lever, and the landing gear still would not fully extend to the down-and-locked position. The pilot then performed multiple heavy g-force maneuvers in an attempt to lower the landing gear but was unable to extend and lock the gear, and subsequently landed the airplane in a dirt area adjacent to the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the lower fuselage. Examination revealed that the landing gear solenoid was inoperative, resulting in the failure of the gear to operate using the gear position switch; however, the emergency gear extension system operated multiple times during postaccident testing with no anomalies noted.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR19LA239 for the full record.