# Accident 20040428008489A: Beech 95C55, Rifle, CO, April 28, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 28, 2004, 15:30 local time
- Place: Rifle, CO
- Airport: Garfield County Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.5291° N, 107.7701° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.5291&lon=-107.7701&mi=10
- Aircraft: N282JL, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N282JL) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Beech 95-C55 (registry code 1152708, https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-95-c55) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental IO-520 series (registry code 17032, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BEECH 95C55
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,569 total, 781 in this make and model, 12 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN04LA075](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN04LA075) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040428008489A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) N282JL, DEPARTED TELLURIDE CO (TEX) ON 04/28/04 AT APPROX. 1400 LEL MOUNTAIN TIME FOR RIFLE CO. (RIL). ACCORDING TO THE PILOT MR. THOMAS L. HEUER PRIVATE PILOT CERTIFICATE NUMBER 359403446, HE AND HIS PASSENGER ^PRIVACY DATA OMI^ DEPARTED (TEX) AND SOME 20 MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT, WEST OF MONTROSE CO HE NOTICED THAT THE AIRCRAFT RADIO LIGHTS BEGAN TO DIM AND FLARE. THE FLIGHT CONTINUED AND THE CONDITION WITH THE ELECTRICAL WORSENED. BETWEEN GRAND JUNCTION CO AND DELTA CO THE AIRCRAFT HAD LOST RADIO POWER AND OTHER ITEMS OF EQUIPMENT BEGAN FAILING. MR. HEUER DECIDED TO OVERFLY RIFLE CO AND HEADED TO GLENWOOD SPRINGS CO, WHERE THIS AIRCRAFT IS NORMALLY BASED, UPON ARRIVAL THERE THE WINDS AND TURBULENCE MADE LANDING IMPOSSIBLE. HE TURNED AROUND AND HEADED BACK TO RIFLE CO TO LAND. ON APPROACH THE AIRCRAFT HAD NO ELECTRICAL POWER AVAILABLE, ONLY PARTIAL FLAP EXTENSION WAS ACHIEVED. MR. HEUER MADE AN ATTEMPT TO EMERGENCY EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR WITH THE CRANK HANDLE, BUT FOUND THE WINDS AND TURBULENCE MADE HIM HAVE TAKE FULL CONTROL OF THE YOKE. HE HAD HIS PASSENGER CRANK THE GEAR, ^PRIVACY DAT^ UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AIRCRAFT, CRANKED THE HANDLE IN THE WRONG DIRECTION, WHICH RETRACTED THE LANDING GEAR. ON 04/28/04 AT 1530 LCL MOUNTAIN TIME N282JL LANDED AT RIFLE CO (RIL) ON RWY 26R WITH THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED. THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED AND EXITED INTO THE GRASSY AREA ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY.

## 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 DEN04LA075](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN04LA075), Apr 28, 2004: Beech 95-C55 (N282JL), Rifle, CO, substantial damage. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to verify the manual extension of the landing gear resulting in an inadvertent wheels up landing. Contributing factors include the electrical systems failure for undetermined…

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.

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