- Date
- November 19, 2010, 17:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Williston, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N677ZBeech 95-C55
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 16, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20101119053119A
- Case key
- 77925
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 failure to properly configure and confirm the position of the landing gear prior to landing.
Findings · 2
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
According to the pilot, while the airplane was on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, he lowered the landing gear handle and thought he saw the green landing gear indicator lights illuminate. He then became distracted and did not check the landing gear lights again. The airplane touched down with the landing gear retracted, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot stated that the accident was a mistake and that his own fatigue or stress may have been an issue. Examination of the airplane revealed that the landing gear handle was in the "down" position, the landing gear indicator lights were functioning, and that the landing gear motor circuit breaker had been tripped. The circuit breaker was reset and the landing gear was cycled six times with no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies noted.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot of the retractable gear-equipped airplane, while the airplane was on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, he lowered the landing gear handle and thought he saw the green landing gear indicator lights illuminate. He then became distracted and did not check the landing gear lights again. The airplane touched down with the landing gear retracted, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot stated that the accident was a mistake and that his own fatigue or stress may have been an issue. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the landing gear handle was in the "down" position, the landing gear indicator lights were functioning, and that the landing gear motor circuit breaker had popped. The circuit breaker was reset and the landing gear was cycled six times, with no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies noted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N677Z
- Reported as
- Beech 95-C55
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TE-14
- Airframe hours
- 5,710
- Engines
- Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES, 285 horsepower, reciprocatingCont Motor IO 520 SERIES, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Charles Graper
- Registered owner
- Graper Beverly V
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Unknown
- Destination
- X60 · Williston, FL
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- X60 · Williston Municipal, runway 32, 4,399 × 100 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
- 66
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 2, 2010
- Flight hours
- 7,500 total · 2,500 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.20 inHg
- Observed at
- OCF, 17 nm away
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 7, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 516 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.