I doubt that the NTSB's lack of interest in the B-17 gear-up
landing has anything to do with lack of relevance to other
operators. They aren't interested because it's just not within the
scope of what they are responsible for.

Pete

It definitely is what they're responsible for, but NTSB has a very
small staff. A lot of the work, if not all, is delegated to FAA on GA
accident cases. So if you call FAA and ask if NTSB reportable, and
they say sounds like it's not, it's not reported to NTSB. And if you
don't call for advice, it may not be reported. In many
airframe-destroying accidents, where owner has no hull insurance and
there's no serious injury, the guy doesn't call nobody.

There were two recent "accidents" near here where unsafe hand-propping
caused the plane to just...depart. One flew 60 miles before crashing.
The other tore through a chain-link fence and smashed into a bldg.
Neither was investigated, though both posed a clear hazard to persons
on the ground. In one, I know the owner called FAA, and they said not
reportable, since there wasn't a pilot _inside_ the aircraft.

Fred F.