- Date
- June 1, 2020, 12:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Batavia, NY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N15DNBeech 36
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200601001939A
- Case key
- 101370
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 extend the landing gear during a precautionary landing after an electrical failure.
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, after a normal start and runup, he departed the airport and climbed to the cruise altitude. After reaching that altitude, he noted a flashing message indicator on the GPS that stated there was an electrical system issue. The pilot informed air traffic control that he would return to the departure airport to repair the issue, and about 7 miles from the airport, the GPS and primary flight display began to flash. The pilot pulled the circuit breakers to the flashing displays and set up for a straight in approach to the runway. He realized the airplane needed to lose altitude and attempted to extend the flaps, however, the flaps did not extend. He reset the circuit breakers, but the flaps still did not extend. He continued the approach, mistakenly forgot to extend the landing gear, and landed on the runway with the landing gear retracted. During the accident sequence, the fuselage was substantially damaged. After the accident, the pilot realized that he was interrupted during his starting checklist and concluded that he did not turn on the alternators (alternator and standby alternator) during the start procedures. Therefore, the airplane avionics were running on battery power the entire flight, which resulted in a loss of electrical power. He reported no other mechanical malfunctions of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, after a normal start and runup, he departed the airport and climbed to the cruise altitude. After reaching that altitude, he noted a flashing message indicator on the GPS that stated there was an electrical system issue. The pilot informed air traffic control that he would return to the departure airport to repair the issue, and about 7 miles from the airport, the GPS and primary flight display began to flash. The pilot pulled the circuit breakers to the flashing displays and set up for a straight in approach to the runway. He realized the airplane needed to lose altitude and attempted to extend the flaps, however, the flaps did not extend. He reset the circuit breakers, but the flaps still did not extend. He continued the approach, mistakenly forgot to extend the landing gear, and landed on the runway with the landing gear retracted. During the accident sequence, the fuselage was substantially damaged. After the accident, the pilot realized that he was interrupted during his starting checklist and concluded that he did not turn on the alternators (alternator and standby alternator) during the start procedures. Therefore, the airplane avionics were running on battery power the entire flight, which resulted in a loss of electrical power. He reported no other mechanical malfunctions of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N15DN
- Reported as
- Beech 36 (A36)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- E-2472
- Built
- 1989
- Airframe hours
- 3,182.5
- Engine
- Continental IO-550, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Snowflake Aircraft Llc
- Registered owner
- Snowflake Aircraft Llc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 7, 2019
- Departed
- GVQ · Batavia, NY
- Destination
- GVQ · Batavia, NY
- Airport
- GVQ · Genesee County, runway 28, 5,499 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot
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
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 15, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 952 total · 89 in this make and model · 888 as pilot in command · 54 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 300° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.21 inHg
- Observed at
- GVQ
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 26, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.6 MB 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.