20081114853949A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Beech K35 · Port Townsend, WA · November 14, 2008

Date: November 14, 2008 · 13:00 local
Place: Port Townsend, WA
Airport: Jefferson County International
Phase of flight: Landing
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N411B
NTSB investigation: NTSBWPR09CA101
Reported as: Beech K35
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 15,000 total700 in this make and model10 in the last 90 days

N411BRegistration cancelled May 13, 2015 · Beech K35S/N D-5960 · Built 1959 Airframe modelBeech K35 Engine modelContinental I0-470 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Pilot stated that he was landing on runway 09 at the Jefferson county airport, located at Port Townsend, WA., that the prop contacted the runway and the aircraft landed gear up. The pilot stated that he nor his passenger recall hearing the gear warning horn going off. Personell that recovered the aircraft from the runway stated that the aircraft was lifted and the gear was extended manually with the hand crank. The master switch was turned on to verify the gear was down & locked. As soon as the master switch was turned on, the gear started to retract when the pilot, who still had his hand on the master switch, immediately turned the master switch to the off position and lowered the landing gear handle. This would indicate that the gear handle was in the up position at the time of the accident.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS LANDING ON RUNWAY 09 AT THE JEFFERSON COUNTY AIRPORT, LOCATED AT PORT TOWNSEND, WA., THAT THE PROP CONTACTED THE RUNWAY AND THE AIRCRAFT LANDED GEAR UP. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE NOR HIS PASSENGER RECALL HEARING THE GEAR WARNING HORN GOING OFF. PERSONELL THAT RECOVERED THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE RUNWAY STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIFTED AND THE GEAR WAS EXTENDED MANUALLY WITH THE HAND CRANK. THE MASTER SWITCH WAS TURNED ON TO VERIFY THE GEAR WAS DOWN & LOCKED. AS SOON AS THE MASTER SWITCH WAS TURNED ON, THE GEAR STARTED TO RETRACT WHEN THE PILOT, WHO STILL HAD HIS HAND ON THE MASTER SWITCH, IMMEDIATELY TURNED THE MASTER SWITCH TO THE OFF POSITION AND LOWERED THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE. THIS WOULD INDICATE THAT THE GEAR HANDLE WAS IN THE UP POSITION AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB WPR09CA101Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal reportPort Townsend, WAThe pilot's failure to lower the landing gear prior to landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to use a checklist and the distraction caused by the discussion with the passenger.Nov 14, 2008 · Substantial damage