- Date
- July 17, 2008, 09:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Midland, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6AQBeech 65-A80
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear collapse
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 26, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Lubbock, TX
- FAA report
- 20080717841149A
- Case key
- 68497
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 failure of the landing gear retraction/extension mechanism due to it being jammed by displaced sound proofing material.
Findings · 1
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 elected to return to the airport following the display of an unsafe landing gear light. Following a flyby and visual check by the airport's control tower, the pilot proceeded to land. During touchdown the main landing gear collapsed and the airplane's belly sustained structural damage. An examination of the landing gear revealed that the failure was due to sound proofing material being caught in the landing gear retraction/extension mechanism.
Factual narrative
The pilot elected to return to the airport following the display of an unsafe landing gear light. Following a flyby and visual check by the airport's control tower, the pilot proceeded to land. During touchdown the main landing gear collapsed and the airplane's belly sustained structural damage. An examination of the landing gear revealed that the failure was due to sound proofing material being caught in the landing gear retraction/extension mechanism.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6AQ
- Reported as
- Beech 65-A80
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- LD-214
- Airframe hours
- 9,429
- Engine
- Lycoming IGSO-540-B1A, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Western Air Express Inc
- Registered owner
- James Nyerges
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 1, 2006
- Departed
- MAF · Midland, TX
- Destination
- E38 · Alpine, TX
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- MAF · Midland International, runway 10, 8,302 × 150 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
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 1, 2008
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 22,000 total · 10,000 in this make and model · 62 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.