- Date
- August 8, 1983, 15:20 local (20:20 UTC)
- Place
- Sioux City, IA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N555MBeech M35
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830808041989A
- Case key
- 33464
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 plt stated that the landing gear switch was down when he started tha takeoff roll. When the acft had accelerated to aprx 50 mph during the takeoff roll, the landing gear retracted/collapsed, nose wheel first, followed by the main gear. The plt stated that after the acft slid to a stop, he moved the landing gear switch from the 'down' to the 'up' position before he departed the acft. Maintenance personnel who were at the acft immediately after the mishap, confirmed that the landing gear switch was in the 'up' position when they arrived. An inspection of the landing gear & gear warning systems revealed no evidence of a pre-accident malfunction. The gear warning horn sounded when checked with the squat switch open. The plt stated that he did not hear a horn during the takeoff sequence. Also, the plt noted that the flap switch was in the 'down' position, when he arrived at the acft, but the flaps were in the retracted position. He believed someone had put the flap switch down after the master switch was off.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N555M
- Reported as
- Beech M35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D6216
- Airframe hours
- 4,119
- Engine
- Continental IO-470-C, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Airways Service Inc.
- Registered owner
- Fredrick Mersch
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 26, 1983 · 78 hours before
- Destination
- RBE · Bassett, NE
- Airport
- SUX · Sioux City Municipal, runway 22, 6,888 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 507 total · 400 in this make and model · 406 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SUX
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.