What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Acft landed gear up. (.19) on March 23, 1999, about 1537 hours pacific standard time a Beech 58, N6BY, made a gear-up landing at Castle airport, Atwater, California. The aircraft sustained substantial damage; however, neither the airline transport rated flight instructor nor his private rated student was injured. The aircraft was being operated as an instructional flight by the owner/student, under 14 CFR part 91 when the accident occurred. The flight had originated from palo alto, California, earlier that afternoon. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The instructor reported that he and his student had just completed a full stop landing at Castle. They subsequently departed on runway 31. The instructor simulated a right engine failure at 600 feet AGL by putting the engine in a zero thrust condition. The student continued in the pattern and the instructor returned the right engine to its full function as the aircraft reached about 200 feet AGL on final approach. The instructor checked the cowl flaps and said he thought he also checked the gear, seeing three green lgihts. He said that he never heard the gear warning horn at any point down to touchdown. He began an electrical shutdown as the aircraft slid down the runway. An FBO manager and his employee reported that the aircraft touched down at the 2,100-foot point and slid to a stop at the 3,000-foot marker. As the instructor deplaned, he noticed that the gear handle was in the down position. The student confirmed the instructor's description of the events leading up to the accident. He said he first became aware that the gear was not down when the aircraft began settling closer to the ground that he was accustomed to. His recollection was that he had lowered the gear handle and had seen three green lights, but said that because of the accident he could not be certain. He also stated that he did not recall hearing the gear warning horn. During the recovery, the instructor reported that, as the aircraft was raised. He noted that while the nosed gear doors were closed, the main gear doors were "loose." The instructor also reported that, on a previous flight, the gear would not retract on downwind. After cycling the gear handle several time, they were still unable to retract the gear. After landing on that occasion, their mechanic was unable to identify a problem(.4)while in the traffic pattern, the instructor simulated an engine failure and placed an engine in a zero thrust condition. During the approach, the student decided to delay lowering the flaps and gear until turning final. The student said that on final he lowered the flaps to the full down position with both engines near zero thrust. The instructor returned the failed engine on short final. Neither crewmember noticed anything unusual until the aircraft appeared to settle more than expected prior to touchdown. Before either of them could recover, both propellers struck the runway. After the accident, the landing gear system was examined and found to fully function. The damage to the landing gear wheel well doors and the flaps was consistent with both being in transit at the time of ground contact. (-23)the pilot on command, privacy data omitted and his flight instructor, privacy data omitted, were engaged in multiengine flight training at the Castle airport, Atwater,CA. After completeing a full stop landing, they made a takeoff on runway 31, with the instructor simulating a right engine failure at 600 feet above ground level. They remained in the airport traffic pattern and the instructor returned the use of the right engine to the pilot on fianl approach to runway 31. As the aircraft flared for landing tough down, neither pilot heard a gear warning horn. As the aircraft settled to the ground it became very apparent that the gear was not down and a gear up landing resulted. privacy data omitted Believed he had put the gear down and had seen three green gear down lights but couldn't be sure. privacy data omitted Was certain they had put the gear down and he saw three green gear down lights.privacy data omitted Stated that when he looked back in the aircraft after the incident, he nosted that the gear handle was down.
As the FAA filed it
ACFT LANDED GEAR UP. (.19) ON MARCH 23, 1999, ABOUT 1537 HOURS PACIFIC STANDARD TIME A BEECH 58, N6BY, MADE A GEAR-UP LANDING AT CASTLE AIRPORT, ATWATER, CALIFORNIA. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE; HOWEVER, NEITHER THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT RATED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR NOR HIS PRIVATE RATED STUDENT WAS INJURED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED AS AN INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT BY THE OWNER/STUDENT, UNDER 14 CFR PART 91 WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE FLIGHT HAD ORIGINATED FROM PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA, EARLIER THAT AFTERNOON. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE INSTRUCTOR REPORTED THAT HE AND HIS STUDENT HAD JUST COMPLETED A FULL STOP LANDING AT CASTLE. THEY SUBSEQUENTLY DEPARTED ON RUNWAY 31. THE INSTRUCTOR SIMULATED A RIGHT ENGINE FAILURE AT 600 FEET AGL BY PUTTING THE ENGINE IN A ZERO THRUST CONDITION. THE STUDENT CONTINUED IN THE PATTERN AND THE INSTRUCTOR RETURNED THE RIGHT ENGINE TO ITS FULL FUNCTION AS THE AIRCRAFT REACHED ABOUT 200 FEET AGL ON FINAL APPROACH. THE INSTRUCTOR CHECKED THE COWL FLAPS AND SAID HE THOUGHT HE ALSO CHECKED THE GEAR, SEEING THREE GREEN LGIHTS. HE SAID THAT HE NEVER HEARD THE GEAR WARNING HORN AT ANY POINT DOWN TO TOUCHDOWN. HE BEGAN AN ELECTRICAL SHUTDOWN AS THE AIRCRAFT SLID DOWN THE RUNWAY. AN FBO MANAGER AND HIS EMPLOYEE REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN AT THE 2,100-FOOT POINT AND SLID TO A STOP AT THE 3,000-FOOT MARKER. AS THE INSTRUCTOR DEPLANED, HE NOTICED THAT THE GEAR HANDLE WAS IN THE DOWN POSITION. THE STUDENT CONFIRMED THE INSTRUCTOR'S DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE ACCIDENT. HE SAID HE FIRST BECAME AWARE THAT THE GEAR WAS NOT DOWN WHEN THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN SETTLING CLOSER TO THE GROUND THAT HE WAS ACCUSTOMED TO. HIS RECOLLECTION WAS THAT HE HAD LOWERED THE GEAR HANDLE AND HAD SEEN THREE GREEN LIGHTS, BUT SAID THAT BECAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT HE COULD NOT BE CERTAIN. HE ALSO STATED THAT HE DID NOT RECALL HEARING THE GEAR WARNING HORN. DURING THE RECOVERY, THE INSTRUCTOR REPORTED THAT, AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS RAISED. HE NOTED THAT WHILE THE NOSED GEAR DOORS WERE CLOSED, THE MAIN GEAR DOORS WERE "LOOSE." THE INSTRUCTOR ALSO REPORTED THAT, ON A PREVIOUS FLIGHT, THE GEAR WOULD NOT RETRACT ON DOWNWIND. AFTER CYCLING THE GEAR HANDLE SEVERAL TIME, THEY WERE STILL UNABLE TO RETRACT THE GEAR. AFTER LANDING ON THAT OCCASION, THEIR MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO IDENTIFY A PROBLEM(.4)WHILE IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN, THE INSTRUCTOR SIMULATED AN ENGINE FAILURE AND PLACED AN ENGINE IN A ZERO THRUST CONDITION. DURING THE APPROACH, THE STUDENT DECIDED TO DELAY LOWERING THE FLAPS AND GEAR UNTIL TURNING FINAL. THE STUDENT SAID THAT ON FINAL HE LOWERED THE FLAPS TO THE FULL DOWN POSITION WITH BOTH ENGINES NEAR ZERO THRUST. THE INSTRUCTOR RETURNED THE FAILED ENGINE ON SHORT FINAL. NEITHER CREWMEMBER NOTICED ANYTHING UNUSUAL UNTIL THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO SETTLE MORE THAN EXPECTED PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN. BEFORE EITHER OF THEM COULD RECOVER, BOTH PROPELLERS STRUCK THE RUNWAY. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE LANDING GEAR SYSTEM WAS EXAMINED AND FOUND TO FULLY FUNCTION. THE DAMAGE TO THE LANDING GEAR WHEEL WELL DOORS AND THE FLAPS WAS CONSISTENT WITH BOTH BEING IN TRANSIT AT THE TIME OF GROUND CONTACT. (-23)THE PILOT ON COMMAND, ^PRIVACY DAT^ AND HIS FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR, ^PRIVACY DA^, WERE ENGAGED IN MULTIENGINE FLIGHT TRAINING AT THE CASTLE AIRPORT, ATWATER,CA. AFTER COMPLETEING A FULL STOP LANDING, THEY MADE A TAKEOFF ON RUNWAY 31, WITH THE INSTRUCTOR SIMULATING A RIGHT ENGINE FAILURE AT 600 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL. THEY REMAINED IN THE AIRPORT TRAFFIC PATTERN AND THE INSTRUCTOR RETURNED THE USE OF THE RIGHT ENGINE TO THE PILOT ON FIANL APPROACH TO RUNWAY 31. AS THE AIRCRAFT FLARED FOR LANDING TOUGH DOWN, NEITHER PILOT HEARD A GEAR WARNING HORN. AS THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED TO THE GROUND IT BECAME VERY APPARENT THAT THE GEAR WAS NOT DOWN AND A GEAR UP LANDING RESULTED. ^PRIVACY DA^ BELIEVED HE HAD PUT THE GEAR DOWN AND HAD SEEN THREE GREEN GEAR DOWN LIGHTS BUT COULDN'T BE SURE. ^PRIVACY DA^ WAS CERTAIN THEY HAD PUT THE GEAR DOWN AND HE SAW THREE GREEN GEAR DOWN LIGHTS.^PRIVACY DA^ STATED THAT WHEN HE LOOKED BACK IN THE AIRCRAFT AFTER THE INCIDENT, HE NOSTED THAT THE GEAR HANDLE WAS DOWN.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.