WPR20LA032

The pilot reported that, during final approach, he selected the landing gear switch to the down position, then became distracted by departing traffic. He did not recall checking if the landing gear was fully extended. The airplane landed with the gear partially extended, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The airplane was placed on jacks and a gear swing was performed. No anomalies were noted, and the landing gear circuit breaker remained closed throughout operation. Although it is likely that the landing gear circuit was overloaded during the accident landing, the reason for the overload could not be determined during postaccident testing.

On November 4, 2019, about 1200 mountain standard time, a Beech A36TC airplane, N936TC, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Hurricane, Utah. The private pilot and pilot rated passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that, during final approach, he selected the landing gear switch to the down position, then became distracted by departing traffic. He did not recall checking if the landing gear was fully extended. After landing, the pilot noticed that the landing gear circuit breaker was open, and that the landing gear was only partially extended. The airplane’s pilot operating handbook stated that the landing gear circuit breaker will pop under overload conditions. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the bottom of the fuselage. The airplane was placed on jacks and a gear swing was performed. No anomalies were noted, and the landing gear circuit breaker remained closed throughout operation.