- Date
- July 22, 2020, 11:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Montgomery, AL
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N425BJBeech 400
- Defining event
- Landing: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO, Textron
- FAA report
- 20200722008999A
- Case key
- 101664
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
Landing with the left main landing gear retracted due to the failure of the landing gear control unit, which resulted in substantial damage.
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 did not receive a positive indication that the left main landing gear was down and locked. After completing all applicable emergency checklists, he elected to shut down the left engine and land with the left main landing gear retracted. The left wing was substantially damaged during landing. During postaccident examination the landing gear control unit was replaced, and the landing gear functioned normally.
Factual narrative
On July 22, 2020, about 1100 central daylight time, a Beech 400, N425BJ, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM), Montgomery, Alabama. The two pilots and one passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, after extending the landing gear for landing, he did not receive a positive indication that the left main landing gear was down and locked. The pilot referred to the airplane’s emergency procedures for manual landing gear extension, but this procedure failed to extend the gear. The pilot then elected to shut down the left engine and land with the left main landing gear retracted. During landing, the pilot was able to keep the airplane on the runway surface. The left wing was substantially damaged from contact with the runway surface. During postaccident examination by a mechanic, the landing gear and doors would not retract or extend normally after multiple attempts. Troubleshooting identified the landing gear control unit as the possible source of the anomalies. The landing gear control unit was replaced, and the landing gear functioned normally.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N425BJ
- Reported as
- Beech 400 (Undesignat)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- RJ25
- Built
- 1987
- Airframe hours
- 6,860
- Engines
- Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-5, 2,850 lbs thrust, turbo fanPratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-5, 2,850 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- N425bj LLC
- Registered owner
- N425bj LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Unknown · December 1, 2019
- Departed
- HSV · Huntsville, AL
- Destination
- MGM · Montgomery, AL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MGM · Montgomery Rgnl (Dannelly Fiel, runway 10, 9,020 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Angle of attack indicator, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Onboard weather, Handheld GPS, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 21, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 26,974 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 25,774 as pilot in command · 1,004 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 22
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 10, 2020
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 921 total · 12 in this make and model · 840 as pilot in command · 48 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 88 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- MGM, 1 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 18, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.4 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.