- Date
- March 21, 1994, 02:00 local (09:00 UTC)
- Place
- Gillette, WY
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9415SBeech 95-C55
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 2, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940321000609A
- Case key
- 41900
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
Procedures/directives were not followed and partial failure of the landing gear selector switch. A factor to the accident was an inoperative gear warning system.
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
At the end of the flight, the pilot reported that he selected the gear down and heard the gear extending. Just prior to touchdown, the pilot noted that the gear selector was down; however, he did not have a green gear down and locked indication. The airplane was landed with the landing gear retracted. During the post crash inspection, it was found that the gear selector switch functioned intermittently. It was also found that the gear warning horn that is connected to the throttles was inoperative.
Factual narrative
On March 21, 1994, at 0200 mountain standard time, a Beech 95- C55, N9415S, operated by Northern Colorado Air Charter, landed gear up at the Gillette Airport, Gillette, Wyoming. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The airplane was substantially damaged and the certificated airline transport pilot and his two passengers were not injured. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR 135 that departed from Denver, Colorado, at 0005 on March 21, 1994.
The pilot reported that a straight in approach for runway 34 was planned. The pilot reduced power and selected gear down. The pilot stated that he felt the landing gear coming down and called gear down. The approach was continued and just before touchdown, the pilot noted that the gear selector was down, however, the green gear light for the down and locked position was not illuminated. The pilot added power, however, the left side propeller contacted the runway and the pilot reduced power and landed the airplane with the landing gear retracted.
During the post crash inspection, the airplane was jacked up and a gear cycle test was performed. It was found that the gear selector switch worked intermittently. The landing gear was cycled six times and one out of the six cycles of operation, the landing gear failed to extend. Further inspection revealed that the gear warning horn was inoperative.
The aircraft maintenance logs indicate that on December 3, 1993, the airplane was signed off for an annual inspection. The entry indicates that the gear warning horn was inoperative as connected to the throttles. An entry following the annual inspection, dated the same date, indicates that the throttle warning horn was connected and tested for proper operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9415S
- Reported as
- Beech 95-C55
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TE-41
- Airframe hours
- 4,176
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-C, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Northern Co Air Charter
- Registered owner
- Northern Co Air Charter
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 3, 1993 · 65 hours before
- Departed
- DEN · Denver, CO
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- GCC · Gillette - Campbell, runway 34, 7,500 × 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
- 46
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 14,000 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 11,986 as pilot in command · 61 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 110° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 28 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.