- Date
- August 31, 2023, 11:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Ennis, MT
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N92NJBeech N35
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear not configured
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20230831016959A
- Case key
- 192980
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The pilot's failure to extend the landing gear before landing.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings.
Analysis
The pilot reported that during the landing approach he forgot to extend the airplane’s landing gear. The airplane subsequently touched down on the runway and the fuselage was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N92NJ
- Reported as
- Beech N35
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- D-6604
- Built
- 1960
- Airframe hours
- 4,615.71
- Engine
- Continental IO-529 BA, 285 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Registration Pending
- Registered owner
- Registration Pending
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 15, 2022
- Departed
- KTTD · Portland, OR
- Destination
- KEKS · Ennis, MT
- Airport
- KEKS · Ennis Big Sky Airport, runway 16, 7,600 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Satellite tracking device
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
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 17, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 504 total · 391 in this make and model · 504 as pilot in command · 38 in the last 90 days · 27 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Temperature
- 32 °F, dew point 32 °F
- Observed at
- KDLN, 38 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KDLN 311353Z AUTO 20011KT 10SM
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 4, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.8 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.