- Date
- March 31, 1987, 14:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place
- Tucson, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N13WBeech S35
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870331007889A
- Case key
- 25554
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The aircraft door came open during the initial climb after takeoff because it was not properly closed and locked. The pilot raised the landing gear. Thereafter, because of slow acceleration, he elected to land on the remaining runway. He moved the landing gear lever to the down position but was unable to hold off long enough for the gear to extend fully into the down and locked position.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N13W
- Reported as
- Beech S35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D7888
- Airframe hours
- 2,300
- Engine
- Continental IO-540, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Meigs, James B. Jr.
- Registered owner
- James B Meigs Jr
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Utility
- Destination
- ABI · Abilene, TX
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- TUS · Tucson Int'L, runway 11R, 9,129 × 75 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
- 69
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,000 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 17 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 14 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- TUS
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N13W · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.