- Date
- March 20, 2009, 14:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Charleston, MO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N451SBeech A36
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Landing gear collapse
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 10, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA-St Louis FSDO
- FAA report
- 20090320009169A
- Case key
- 74047
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 pilot's inadvertent use of the landing gear selector handle instead of the flap handle during landing rollout, which resulted in the collapse of the nose landing gear.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he had landed uneventfully at the conclusion of a local flight. However, during the landing rollout the pilot stated that he mistakenly selected the landing gear handle instead of the flap handle. As a result, the nose landing gear collapsed, damaging the nose gear support fittings and nose gear assembly. The pilot noted that there were no failures or malfunctions associated with the airplane prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that he had landed uneventfully at the conclusion of a local flight. However, during the landing rollout the pilot stated that he mistakenly selected the landing gear handle instead of the flap handle. As a result, the nose landing gear collapsed damaging the nose gear support fittings and nose gear assembly. The pilot noted that there were no failures or malfunctions associated with the airplane prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N451S
- Reported as
- Beech A36
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- E1200
- Airframe hours
- 2,794
- Engine
- Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Morley Tower Co
- Registered owner
- Morley Tower Co
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 2009
- Departed
- CHQ · Charleston, MO
- Destination
- CHQ · Charleston, MO
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- CHQ · Mississippi County, runway 36, 3,196 × 60 ft, asphalt
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
- 72
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 15, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,846 total · 405 in this make and model · 1,800 as pilot in command · 2 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 10, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 913 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.