# Incident 20050806025689I: Beech 58, Suffolk, VA, August 6, 2005

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 6, 2005, 19:25 local time
- Place: Suffolk, VA
- Airport: Suffolk Municipal Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.7282° N, 76.5836° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Suffolk, VA, within about 11 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.7282&lon=-76.5836&mi=10
- Aircraft: N930BD, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N930BD) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Beech 58 (registry code 1152740, https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-58) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental IO-520 series (registry code 17032, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BEECH 58
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 2,950 total, 30 in this make and model, 70 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050806025689I

## Narrative

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

(-23) PILOT REPORTED NORMAL APPROACH TO SFQ, LOWERED FLAPS TO APPROACH POSITION, MOVED LANDING GEAR SELECTOR TO THE DOWN POSITION, AND LOST ALL ELECTRICAL POWER (DID NOT HEAR THE LANDING GEAR MOTOR OPERATE). PILOT THEN RETRACTED THE FLAPS SUCCESSFULLY, MOVED THE GEAR SELECTOR TO THE UP POSITION, AND REPORTED RADIOS "CAME ON", BUT, PILOT DID NOT RECEIVE RADIO RESPONSES. PILOT SELECTED GEAR HANDLE TO DOWN POSITION AND REPORTED "RADIOS WENT OFF AGAIN." HE THEN SELECTED GEAR UP, YET HE REPORTED, "NO RADIOS CAME ON". PILOT ATTEMPTED TO PERFORM AN EMERGENCY LANDING GEAR EXTENSION THREE TIMES. THE EMERGENCY HANDLE "TURNED BUT SEEMED TO BE SLIPPING AND FELT UNUSUAL." PILOT PERFORMED A GEAR UP LANDING ON THE GRASS, ADJACENT TO RUNWAY 22. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE AIRCRAFT ELECTRICAL SYSTEM HAD BEEN INAPPROPRIATELY ALTERED TO NOT ALLOW THE MASTER SWITCH/CIRCUIT TO CONTROL THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. THE RAM AIR CONTROL SWITCH/CIRCUIT HAD BEEN WIRED (NO MAINTENANCE RECORD) TO CONTROL THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ACTING AS A TYPE OF ANTI-THEFT DEVICE. THE OWNER HAD RECENTLY PURCHASED THIS AIRCRAFT. MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL ON SITE PERFORMED THREE FAULT FREE LANDING GEAR EXTENSION/RETRACTION CHECKS USING BOTH ELECTRICAL AND EMERGENCY SYSTEMS.

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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