The American Bonanza Society (ABS), Wichita, Kansas, and the ABS Air Safety Foundation have launched PutYourGearDown.com, a year-long safety campaign aimed at reducing gear-up landings and landing gear collapse accidents involving Beechcraft Bonanzas, Debonairs, Barons, and Travel Air aircraft. According to ABS, landing gear mishaps account for at least 40% of all accidents involving those aircraft types. The organization said many affected airplanes are ultimately declared total losses because of repair costs. Citing the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), ABS noted that gear-up landings and gear collapse accidents represent the most expensive insurance claims across general aviation, not just among retractable-gear aircraft.
(Image credit: American Bonanza Society)
The new website, PutYourGearDown.com, serves as the campaign’s central resource, offering videos, articles, and maintenance guidance designed to help pilots and mechanics reduce the likelihood of landing gear accidents. The site also encourages visitors to take a safety pledge and share their own experiences with gear-up landings, gear collapses, near misses, and maintenance lessons. The campaign is intended to address both pilot technique and aircraft maintenance practices that contribute to landing gear accidents while promoting safer operating habits throughout the general aviation community. “Protecting our fleet begins with protecting every landing,” said Stephen Hammers, 2025-2026 president of the American Bonanza Society Board of Directors. “The Put Your Gear Down campaign is about giving pilots and mechanics the knowledge and tools they need to prevent avoidable accidents and preserve the airplanes we all value. I am honored to participate in this effort as the President of the Board.”
(Image credit: American Bonanza Society)
ABS Executive Director Lauren Bayless said the initiative builds on the organization’s emphasis on community education. “The strength of ABS has always been our community. Put Your Gear Down gives that community a focused call to action around one of the most significant accident trends affecting the Beechcraft fleet, and it creates a place where education, experience, and shared commitment can make a real difference.” ABS Air Safety Foundation Executive Director Tom Turner said the campaign is intended to reach owners, mechanics, and flight instructors beyond the Beechcraft community. “With this campaign, ABS hopes to spread the word not only among Beech pilots, mechanics, and flight instructors, but also to those in all types of retractable gear airplanes. Instead of accepting that ‘there are those who have, and those who will’ have a gear-up landing or gear collapse, by adopting good operating and maintenance practices, owners and pilots can become one of ‘those who won’t.’” Watch the video below to learn more about the Put Your Gear Down campaign.
Funding for the Put Your Gear Down campaign comes from the ABS Air Safety Foundation Manuel Maciel Aviation Safety Fund, with additional support provided by Michelin and Acrisure Aerospace. For more information and to support the American Bonanza Society, click on this link: www.bonanza.org.
There’s no excuse for forgetting to extend landing gear. Proper training and a professional attitude toward PIC responsibility will improve the outcome of a flight. Just because you have the resources to fly a high performance plane is only half way there, next is learning how to manage the performance.