- Date
- October 31, 2018, 18:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Gainesville, FL
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N5YBBeech 55
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 5, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20181031021319A
- Case key
- 98584
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 inadvertent landing gear retraction during the landing roll, which resulted in a canted left main landing gear and the wing dragging during the subsequent landing following a go-around.
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
The pilot of the retractable landing gear-equipped airplane reported that, during the landing roll, he inadvertently moved the landing gear position handle to the "up" position. He immediately recognized his error and moved the handle back to the "down" position. Subsequently, he saw the left wing settle slightly, so he added power and performed a go-around. Once airborne, he asked the tower controllers to observe the landing gear, and they confirmed that the left main landing gear was "canted inward" and did not appear to be down and locked. The pilot stated that, during the second landing, he placed the gear handle in the “down” position and saw the gear indicator lights were showing "down and locked." However, during the landing roll, the left wing settled onto the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left aileron. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the retractable landing gear-equipped airplane reported that, during the landing roll, he inadvertently moved the landing gear position lever to the "up" position. He immediately moved the lever back to the "down" position, but observed the left wing settle slightly, so he added power and performed a go around. Once airborne, he asked the tower controllers to observe the landing gear and they confirmed that the left main landing gear was "canted inward" and did not appear to be in a down and locked position. During the second landing he placed the gear handle in the down position and observed the gear indicators as "down and locked." During the landing roll, the left wing settled onto the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left aileron. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5YB
- Reported as
- Beech 55 (95B55)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TC-952
- Built
- 1966
- Airframe hours
- 5,000
- Engines
- Continental IO-520-E, 300 horsepower, reciprocatingContinental IO-520-E, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 15, 2018
- Departed
- TMB · Miami, FL
- Destination
- GNV · Gainesville, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- GNV · Gainesville Rgnl, runway 07, 4,158 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Onboard weather, 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
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 15, 2017
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 4,500 total · 220 in this make and model · 4,500 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- KGNV
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 11, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.0 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.