# NTSB DEN03LA029: Beech F33A, N1592W, Durango, CO, December 28, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: December 28, 2002, 14:50 local (21:50 UTC) - Place: Durango, CO - Coordinates: 37.15139, -107.75389 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.1514&lon=-107.7539&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 3 uninjured - Status: Completed, report May 13, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 56285 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN03LA029 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/56285/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN03LA029 ## Probable cause the pilot's failure to extend the landing gear. A contributing factor is the pilot's failure to follow the checklist. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Wheels up landing, landing - checklist - not followed, pilot in command (contributing factor) - landing gear,gear switch - not engaged ## Analysis The pilot said made a crosswind approach for the runway. He said he entered a gradual climb to slow his airplane down enough to lower the landing gear, and then hit the gear switch thinking he had engaged it. The pilot turned on downwind until the other traffic was clear, and then subsequently turned on to base and final. The pilot said he did not realize there was a problem until he struck the runway. The airplane landed with the gear fully retracted damaging the bottom fuselage, flaps, and propeller. An examination of the airplane revealed no systems anomalies. ## Factual narrative On December 28, 2002, at 1450 mountain standard time, a Beech F33A, N1592W, piloted by a private pilot, sustained substantial damage during a wheels up landing at the Durango/La Plata County Airport (DRO), Durango, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal, cross-country flight from Borger, Texas, to Durango, Colorado, was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and two passengers on board the airplane reported no injuries. The flight originated at 1320 central standard time. In his written statement, the pilot said he made a crosswind approach for runway 02. He said he entered a gradual climb to slow his airplane down enough to lower the landing gear, and then hit the gear switch thinking he had engaged it. The pilot said he turned downwind until the other traffic was clear, and then turned subsequently on to base and final. The pilot said on final he lowered full flaps. He said he did not realize there was a problem until he struck the runway. The pilot said the airplane is equipped with a landing gear warning horn that goes off when the airplane slows sufficiently and the gear is not down. He said the horn did not go off. An examination of the airplane showed the bottom fuselage skin beneath the cabin area and the nose gear doors scraped aft longitudinally. The bottom fuselage skin between the wing roots, beginning at the leading edges and running rearward to the trailing edges of the flaps, was buckled and pushed upward slightly. The lower portions of the bulkheads in this area were buckled. The inboard trailing edges of the left and right flaps were split open, bent, and buckled. Both propeller blades were bent aft and curled at the tips, and showed torsional bending and chordwise scrapes. The airplane's landing gear was confirmed in the up and locked position. Flight control continuity was confirmed. An examination of the airplane's engine, engine controls, and other systems revealed no anomalies. The Normal Procedures Section of the Beechcraft F33A Pilot's Operating Handbook, under "Before Landing" states in item 4, "Landing Gear - Down and Check. (Observe maximum extension speed)" The Systems Description Section of the Pilot's Operating Handbook, under "Warning Horn" states, "With the landing gear retracted, if the throttle is retarded below approximately 12 in. Hg (inches-Mercury) manifold pressure, a warning horn will sound intermittently." ## Aircraft - Registration: [N1592W](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N1592W), registered now, S/N CE-383, built 1972 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Beech F33A - Registry model: [Beech F33A](https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-f33a) (registry code 1151425) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Continental IO-520 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-520-series) (registry code 17032, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: CE-838 - Airframe hours: 5370 - Engines: Continental IO-520-BB 285 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Operator: Robert W. Dunavant - Registered owner: Joseph Anderson & Robert Dunavant - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Utility - Last inspection: Annual, October 14, 2002, 30 hours before - Departed: BGD, Borger, TX - Destination: DRO, Durango, CO - Airport: DRO, Durango/La Plata County Arpt., runway 02, 9,201 × 150 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 53; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review December 8, 2002; seat: left; flight hours: 1,871 total, 1,161 in this make and model, 1,765 as pilot in command, 16 in the last 90 days, 10 in the last 30 days, 8 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 40° at 7 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 36 °F, dew point 18 °F - Altimeter: 30.20 inHg - Observed at: DRO, 1 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20021228033989A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20021228033989A), Dec 28, 2002: Beech F33A, Durango, CO, Minor damage. (-23) The pilot explained that he "hit the gear switch thinking I had engaged it" and on final lowered full flaps and then landed. The first he knew there was… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.