Five Occupants, Gear Up: A Night Landing at Fort Pierce

The aircraft arrived with the gear retracted

On 18 December 2019, Piper PA-34-200T N8703E experienced a gear-up landing at Treasure Coast International Airport in Fort Pierce, Florida. Five occupants were aboard and none were injured. The aircraft sustained damage described as unknown but apparently minor.

A runway landing without the wheels

With the landing gear retracted, the aircraft contacted the runway on its underside. The incident ended without reported injuries. The record does not identify a mechanical failure or cockpit action that explains why the gear remained up.

The important fact is the outcome

Five occupants were aboard, and none was reported injured. No specific landing-gear defect, warning-system failure or cockpit action is established in the incident record.

N8703E is identified as a Piper PA-34-200T Seneca II. The aircraft type and registration establish the identity of the airplane involved; they do not establish why the landing gear remained retracted.

The incident account states: “the five occupants onboard were not injured.”

Accident Facts

Sources

• Aircraft registration reference: https://aircraft-data.com/n-numbers/8703E
• FAA-derived aircraft registration data for N8703E: https://aircraft-data.com/n-numbers/8703E