- Date
- October 7, 1990, 12:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Eielson Afb, AK
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N56AFBeech B55B
- Weather
- Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 12, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- FAA report
- 19901007044329A
- Case key
- 5501
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The dual student's inadvertent, premature selection of the landing gear handle to the up position; thereby causing the landing gear system to retract. Contributing to the accident was the instructor's failure to monitor the dual student's action and take appropriate and timely corrective action.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The dual student and instructor pilot were practicing touch and go landings. After the landing the dual student applied power and then selected the landing gear lever to the 'up' position. The instructor stated he quickly placed the landing gear lever in the down position but the landing gear continued to retract until the airplane slid to a stop on its belly.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N56AF
- Reported as
- Beech B55B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TF-3
- Airframe hours
- 11,233
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-L, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Eielson Aero Club
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 29, 1990 · 6 hours before
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- EIL · Eielson, runway 31, 14,514 × 150 ft, macadam
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 41
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,165 total · 170 in this make and model · 1,119 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 32 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.