# Accident 19990417018649A: Beech 35C33, Portland, OR, April 17, 1999 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: April 17, 1999, 17:00 local time - Place: Portland, OR - Airport: Portland/Hillsboro Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Touch And Go Landing - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 45.5810° N, 122.9104° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=45.5810&lon=-122.9104&mi=10 - Aircraft: N1310A, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N1310A) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Beech 35-C33 (registry code 1151408, https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-35-c33) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Continental I0-470 series (registry code 17027, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-i0-470-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BEECH 35C33 - Reported engine: CONT IO470K - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 983 total, 514 in this make and model - NTSB investigation: [NTSB SEA99LA053](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA99LA053) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990417018649A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (.19) ON APRIL 17, 1999, APPROXIMATELY 1700 PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, A BEECH C33, N1310A, EXPERIENCED A LANDING GEAR INADVERTENT RETRACTION OR COLLAPSE ON THE RUNWAY WHILE PERFORMING A TOUCH-AND-GO LANDING ON RUNWAY 30 AT PORTLAND-HILLSBORO AIRPORT, HILLSBORO, OREGON. THE AIRCRAFT SUBSEQUENTLY SLID TO A STOP ON THE RUNWAY ON ITS BELLY, SUSTAINING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE PRIVATE PILOT-IN-COMMAND AND ONE PASSENGER, HIS WIFE WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE 14 CFR 91 LOCAL PERSONAL FLIGHT OUT OF PORTLAND-HILLSBORO. IN A PRELIMINARY TELEPHONE INTERVIEW WITH THE PILOT, THE PILOT STATED HE LOWERED THE GEAR ON DOWNWIND AT MIDFIELD, AND RECHECKED IT ON BASE AND FINAL. THE PILOT STATED THAT ALL GEAR INDICATED DOWN. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE APPROACH (PERFORMED WITH 20 DEGREES OF FLAPS) AND TOUCHDOWN WERE NORMAL. THE PILOT STATED HIS RECOLLECTION OF SUBSEQUENT EVENTS WAS UNCERTAIN, BUT THAT HIS RECOLLECTION WAS THAT WHILE ROLLING ON THE RUNWAY JUST AFTER TOUCHDOWN, HE SAW THE NOSE START TO GO DOWN. THE PILOT RECALLED THAT HE THEN PULLED BACK ON THE WHEEL AND ATTEMPTED TO ADD POWER, BUT STATED HE WAS GOING TOO SLOW TO RAISE THE NOSE. THE NEXT THING THE PILOT RECALLED WAS SITTING ON THE RUNWAY, STOPPED. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE ENTIRE ACCIDENT SEQUENCE HAPPENED IN ABOUT 5 SECONDS. THE PILOT STATED HE DID NOT REMEMBER REACHING FOR OR OPERATING ANY SWITCHES, SUCH AS GEAR OR FLAPS, AT THE TIME THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED. FAA INSPECTORS WHO EXAMINED THE AIRPLANE AFTER THE ACCIDENT REPORTED TO THE NTSB THAT THEY FOUND ABRASION DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE'S MAIN LANDING GEAR DOORS, AS WELL AS OVERSTRESS DAMAGE TO THE NOSE LANDING GEAR LINKAGE (THE FAA INSPECTORS REPORTED THAT THE NOSE GEAR APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN FORCIBLY PUSHED BACK UP INTO THE NOSE WHEEL WELL.) THE FAA INSPECTORS ALSO REPORTED THAT IN A POST-ACCIDENT TEST, A SUCCESSFUL MANUAL EXTENSION OF THE MAIN LANDING GEAR WAS ACCOMPLISHED, BUT THAT THE NOSE GEAR DID NOT EXTEND DURING THIS TEST. FAA INSPECTORS ALSO REPORTED THEIR INITIAL CONTACT WITH THE PILOT DISCLOSED THAT THE PILOT DID NOT MEET 14 CFR 61.57 RECENCY OF EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS FOR CARRIAGE OF PASSENGERS. PORTLAND-HILLSBORO RUNWAY 30 IS A 6,600 BY 150 FOOT ASPHALT-SURFACE RUNWAY, AND IS EQUIPPED WITH A VISUAL APPROACH SLOPE INDICATOR (VASI). WINDS AT PORTLAND-HILLSBORO WERE REPORTED AT VARIABLE AT 3 KNOTS AT 1653. (.4)THE PILOT WAS PERFORMING A TOUCH-AND-GO LANDING. HE EXTENDED THE GEAR AND CHECKED GEAR DOWN DURING APPROACH, WHICH HE REPORTED WAS NORMAL. THE PILOT STATED MAIN GEAR TOUCHDOWN WAS NORMAL, BUT HE HAD NO MEMORY OF NOSE GEAR TOUCHDOWN. HE STATED THAT 'THE NOSE DROPPED BELOW NORMAL FOR LANDING ROLL-OUT' AND HE ATTEMPTED TO TAKE OFF, BUT WAS TOO SLOW AND THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED TO A STOP IN A NOSE-DOWN POSITION ON THE RUNWAY CENTERLINE. HE STATED, 'THE LANDING GEAR APPEARED TO BE IN A SEMI-RETRACTED OR COLLAPSED POSITION.' FAA INSPECTORS NOTED ABRASION DAMAGE TO THE MAIN LANDING GEAR DOORS IN A POST-ACCIDENT INSPECTION, AS WELL AS NOSE GEAR OVERSTRESS DAMAGE CONSISTENT WITH ITS BEING FORCIBLY PUSHED BACK UP INTO THE NOSE WHEEL WELL. IN A POST-ACCIDENT TEST, THE MAIN LANDING GEAR EXTENDED MANUALLY BUT THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WOULD NOT EXTEND. THE PILOT REPORTED HE HAD NOT LOGGED ANY PILOT TIME IN THE 90 DAYS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB SEA99LA053](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA99LA053), Apr 18, 1999: Beech 35-C33 (N1310A), Hillsboro, OR, substantial damage. Probable cause: A landing gear collapse for undetermined reasons. ## Other reports on N1310A (2) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 20250906019509A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250906019509A), Sep 6, 2025: Beech 35-C33 (N1310A), Brookings, SD, Destroyed. The flight was to view a football game in bozeman, MT. The intended flight plan Was a VFR flight from kbkx to krap for fuel, then from krap to kbzn via an IFR… - [Accident 19980401005279A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980401005279A), Apr 1, 1998: Beech 35C33 (N1310A), Portland, OR, Substantial damage. Student made premature liftoff. Settled. Wing dipped CFI continued with dual. On landing found wing damaged. (.4)while practicing soft-field takeoffs in a… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.