Mastery Flight Training

Mastery Flight Training, Inc. Beech Weekly Accident Update archives

August 2005 Reports

Official information from FAA and NTSB sources (unless otherwise noted). Editorial comments (contained in parentheses), year-to-date summary and closing comments are those of the author. All information is preliminary and subject to change. Comments on preliminary topics are meant solely to enhance flying safety. Please use these reports to help you more accurately evaluate the potential risks when you make your own decisions about how and when to fly. Please accept my sincere personal condolences if anyone you know was in a mishap. I welcome your comments, suggestions and criticisms. Fly safe, and have fun!

8/4/05 Report

NEW REPORTS THIS WEEK

7/24 1503Z (1103 local): A rated pilot and a student pilot in the front seats of a Be35 were killed, and an instructor sitting in the Bonanza’s aft seats suffered “serious” injuries, when the airplane’s engine quit near the completion of an IFR flight from Columbus, Ohio to Rock Hill, South Carolina. The aircraft was “destroyed.” Weather at Rock Hill was “few clouds” at 3500, 16,000 scattered, with visibility six miles in haze. N9JQ (D-9273) was a 1971 V35B recently (October 2004) registered to a corporation in Columbus, Ohio.

(“Engine failure on approach/in traffic pattern”; “Fatal”; “Aircraft destroyed”; “Dual instruction”; “Recent registration”—local press accounts confirm that the pilot flying was not yet certificated)

7/24 2200Z (1600 local): Three died in the crash of a Be35 while taking off from Salt Lake City, Utah. The Bonanza was “destroyed” in a post-crash fire. Weather at the time was 9000 scattered with cumulonimbus, 13,000 broken 20,000 broken, with surface winds from 210 degrees at 17 knots. Surface temperature was 33C. Storms were noted in the area and a witness reports winds “approximately 35-40 knots from a west-northwest direction,” while the flight was departing on Runway 16. “A witness, who was located on the airport, reported the airplane departed runway 16, which is 5,860 feet long and 100 feet wide. Approximately 2,000 feet down the runway, the airplane was 150 feet agl and flying runway heading. While at 150 feet agl, ‘the right wing was low, gear down, and nose in a climb attitude, but not climbing.’ The right wing was down for almost the entire length of the runway. As the airplane approached the end of the runway, the airplane lost altitude, was approximately 50 feet agl, and ‘was still mushing along.’ The right wing then rolled to an almost vertical attitude, the nose dropped, the airplane rolled to the left and impacted the terrain.” N31TE (D-6745) was a 1961 N35 registered since 1985 to an individual in Manhattan Beach, California.

(“Stall on takeoff—strong tailwind/possible microburst conditions”; “Fatal”; “Aircraft destroyed”—this airplane was reportedly en route from the West Coast to Oshkosh. With three aboard and baggage for the trip, aircraft weight may have been a factor; density altitude was approximately 8000 feet)

7/23 1320Z (0930 local): During a local flight at Olathe, Kansas, two aboard a Be33 avoided injury and the Bonanza suffered “minor” damage when the nose gear collapsed on landing. Weather was “clear and 10” with a six-knot wind. N1524S (CD-496) is a 1962 B33 registered to a co-ownership based in Kansas City, Missouri.

(“Gear collapse on landing”)

7/27 1810Z (1310 local): A Be19 “veered off the runway and back on(to it) again” while landing at Flying Cloud Airport, Eden Prairie, Minnesota. The two aboard escaped injury; damage is “minor.” Weather: “few clouds” at 6000, 20,000 scattered, visibility 10 with an eight-knot wind. N3214L (MB-829) is a 1977 B19 registered since 1996 to a corporation in Eden Prairie.

(“Loss of directional control on landing”)

7/28 1630Z (1230 local): A Be33’s nose gear collapsed on landing at Bradford, Pennsylvania. The solo pilot was unhurt; damage was “minor.” Weather: “not reported.” N3443 (CE-761) is a 1978 F33A registered since 1988 to a Wilmington, Delaware corporation.

(“Gear collapse on landing”)

7/29 2145Z (1545 local): Landing at Fallon, Nevada, a Be23 ran off the runway and struck a parked aircraft. The solo pilot has “minor” injuries, his/her airplane “substantial” damage. There is no report of damage to the parked aircraft. Weather: “not reported.” N6121N (M-1208) is a 1968 B23 registered since 2001 to an individual in Grass Valley, California.

(“Loss of directional control on landing”; “Substantial damage”)

7/30 1615Z (1015 local): The pilot of a Be36 noticed a “loss of oil pressure and electrical failure prior to landing,” subsequently landing gear up at Scottsdale, Arizona. The two aboard were not hurt despite “substantial” aircraft damage. Weather was “not reported” but assumed to be “visual” as the flight was cleared for a visual approach and landing when nine miles from the airport. N136BF (EA-465) is a 1987 B36TC recently (November 2004) registered to a corporation based in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

(“Gear up landing/electrical failure”; “Substantial damage”; “Recent registration”—in this vintage of Bonanza all engine instruments except the manifold pressure gauge are electrically powered. If the alternator fails and flight continues on battery power alone, reduced system voltage will result in false, low indications for all electrical engine instruments. It’s possible that the pilot in this case interpreted an abnormally low oil pressure indication as an actual condition that caused him/her to expedite the landing, thereby not manually extending the landing gear. It might be instructive in such airplanes to turn off the alternator in flight briefly to learn how much difference it makes in indicated engine parameters, so in the event of an actual electrical failure you’ll know whether an oil pressure or other indicated loss is “real” or merely a symptom of the loss of electrical power.)

7/31 2116Z (1516 local): A Be60 “blew a tire and rolled off the runway” while landing at Missoula, Montana. No one was hurt; damage and weather are “not reported.” N157JT (P-589) is a 1982 B60 registered since March 2004 to a Spokane, Washington corporation.

(“Blown tire on landing”)

8/1 0302Z (2002 local 7/31/05): Landing at Tucson, Arizona, a Be55 “struck a runway light and directional sign.” The solo pilot wasn’t hurt despite “substantial” aircraft damage. Weather: “clear and 10” with a six-knot wind. The flight had departed Tucson with an intended destination of Calexico, Mexico, but was returning to Tucson for unstated reasons. N5888J (TC-955) is a 1965 B55 registered since March 2004 to a corporation based in Tucson.

(“Loss of directional control on landing”; “Substantial damage”—might this have been a single-engine landing, door open in flight, or other “return” scenario with landing distractions?)

8/1 1950Z (1350 local): A Be33 was “destroyed,” although its three occupants were not reportedly hurt, when during an attempted go-around its “engine stalled and (the) aircraft crashed” at Shelter Cove, California. Weather conditions were “not reported.” N375Z (CD-259) was a 1960 A33 registered since 1981 in a partnership based in Billings, Montana.

(“Engine failure on go-around/missed approach”; “Aircraft destroyed”—did the engine “stall,” or was it an aerodynamic stall incorrectly reported? If it was an engine failure, was the mixture advanced properly for the go-around or was it left too lean for go-around power [a hazard of not advancing the mixture for landing]?)

NEW NTSB PRELIMINARY REPORTS: All previously reported in the Weekly Accident Update, and subject to update per NTSB findings.

**7/14 A36 aborted takeoff at Sequim, Washington. Change “Gear collapse on landing” to “Engine failure on takeoff.”**

**7/24 double-fatality V35B engine failure at Rock Hill, South Carolina, cited above.**

**7/24 triple-fatality N35 stall on takeoff, at Salt Lake #2 Airport, West Jordan, Utah.**

8/12/05 Report

NEW REPORTS THIS WEEK

8/3 1610Z (0910 local): The pilot and one passenger of a Be23 suffered “serious” injury, and a third aircraft occupant has “minor” injuries, after the airplane, when “on approach, crashed onto a road” at Rancho Murietta, California. The aircraft has “substantial” damage. Weather: “clear and 10” with calm winds. N1456L (M-842) is a 1965 A23 registered since 2002 to an individual in Gardnerville, Nevada.

(“Approach/unknown”; “Serious injuries”; “Substantial damage”)

8/5 2110Z (1210 local): Two aboard a Be35 died, and the Bonanza was “destroyed,” when it impacted a ridge in controlled flight in Denali National Park, six miles north of Cantwell, Alaska. Weather was “not reported” but visual according to news accounts and testimony from pilots in accompanying aircraft. N912DB (D-9725) was a 1975 V35B registered since 1999 to an individual in Gardena, California.

(“Controlled flight into terrain—cruise flight/mountainous terrain”; “Fatal”; “Aircraft destroyed”—According to local press accounts, this airplane was one of four planes traveling together in a loose formation. Witnesses aboard the preceding airplanes report they “noticed that their companion plane was missing. They decided one [plane] should continue straight to Talkeetna while the second would circle back to look for the [missing Bonanza]. That pilot ultimately spotted the wreckage in the Riley Creek drainage at about 5,300 feet. ‘It was extremely steep terrain in a saddle between two peaks of about 6,500 feet,’ [the witness] said. "The top of the saddle was about 5,500 (feet).’ (Another witness stated) ‘It was heavily overcast here at some points with low clouds, but as to whether they caused the crash, we don't know.’”)

8/6 1418Z (0918 local): A Be58’s nose gear collapsed on landing at Montgomery, Alabama. The solo pilot wasn’t hurt; damage is “minor.” Weather: “few clouds” at 1100, 9000 scattered, visibility nine miles, with a four-knot wind. N588T (TH-791) is a registered since July 2004 to an Aliceville, Alabama corporation.

(“Gear collapse on landing”)

8/6 1539Z (1039 local): The pilot of a Be35 died and a passenger suffered “serious” injury in a crash “shortly after takeoff,” at Decatur, Alabama. A witness reports seeing the Bonanza “about 100 to 150 feet above a tree line near the crash site. The airplane appeared to be nose high and slow, and no engine sound was reported…. The airplane nosed up slightly, rolled left, then pitched nose down and…collided with the ground.” The airplane was “destroyed.” Weather was “VFR.” N3468B (D-3694) was a 1953 D35 registered since 1990 to an individual in Harker Heights, Texas.

(“Engine failure on takeoff”; “Fatal”; “Aircraft destroyed”)

8/6 1619Z (1219 local): A Be24, “on attempted takeoff, went off into the grass,” at Lumberton, North Carolina. The pilot and two passengers each report “minor” injuries; aircraft damage is “unknown.” Weather at Lumberton was 2100 scattered, 2900 broken 4000 overcast, visibility 1 ¾ miles in rain, with a seven-knot wind. N67076 (MC-706) is/was a 1979 C24R recently (February 2005) registered to a co-ownership in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

(“Loss of control on takeoff”; “IMC” [class E airspace]; “Recent registration”)

8/6 2325Z (1925 local): A Be58 “landed short of the runway, gear up in the grass” at Suffolk, Virginia. The solo pilot was not hurt; damage and weather conditions are “unknown.” N930BD (TH-307) is a 1973 Model 58 recently (June 2005) registered to a Wilmington, Delaware corporation.

(“Gear up landing”; “Recent registration”—there may be a “known mechanical” cause to this mishap, given that it touched down short and gear up at the same time, and in the grass)

8/7 0010Z (2010 local): A Be36 “crashed into trees” en route from Laconia, New Hampshire to nearby Worchester, Massachusetts. Two aboard the Bonanza avoided injury despite “substantial” aircraft damage. Weather: “few clouds” at 4000, 25,000 broken, sky clear with a variable, four-knot surface wind. N838DM (E-3410) is a 2001 A36 registered since 2002 to a corporation in Dorchester, Massachusetts.

(“Fuel exhaustion” [from witness accounts, see the following], “Substantial damage”. A reader reports the airplane was not fueled before this hop, and the pilot commented he thought he had enough fuel to make the flight despite local advice)

8/8 1500Z (1100 local): A Be35 “crashed under unknown circumstances” in “unreported” weather conditions. The wreckage was located 8/10/05 near Ellijay, Georgia. The airplane’s lone occupant had died in the crash, and airplane damage is “substantial.” N1212V (D-10226) is a 1979 V35B registered since 2002 to an individual in Sherrels Ford, North Carolina.

(“Crash/Unknown”; “Fatal”; “Substantial damage”)

8/8/1730Z (1230 local): A Be35 landed gear up at Wichita, Kansas’ Colonel James Jabara Airport. The solo pilot on a “maintenance ferry flight” from Taneyville, Missouri, wasn’t hurt; damage is deemed “minor.” Weather at KAAO was “clear and 10” with a four-knot wind. N2893V (D-300) is a 1947 Model 35 registered since 1993 to an individual in Taneyville, but was recently sold according to press reports.

(“Gear up landing”; “Recent registration”—the local newspaper reports the airplane, “recently purchased (the airplane) from a man in Taneyville, Mo., “hadn’t flown in 12 years. A lot of things, including the communications radio…don’t work.” The flight was conducted “on a special maintenance ferry permit from the FAA….” The pilot and new owner, an A&P who “consults on airworthiness issues for a living” had a “handheld radio to talk” as necessary. He was “a little apprehensive approaching Wichita. His flight permit didn’t allow flight above densely populated areas, and that placed him in a non-standard pattern [for landing]. He lowered the landing gear to help slow the plane down as he descended. ‘I had to make quite a few radio calls,’ (the pilot reports), ‘and the handheld was a bit of a distraction.’ Making his way toward landing, he automatically ran thorough procedure—flaps, throttle, landing lights, gear controls. He checked and rechecked. ‘I was determined to make it a soft landing, touch down real easy on gear that hadn’t flown in 12 years,’ he said. And it was real soft. Right up to the point where the propeller hit the runway and the belly scraped concrete. When he had pushed the control to lower the landing gear, he’d forgotten that it was already down. ‘At the point where I’d ordinarily put the gear down, I retracted it,’ (the pilot) said later.” Distraction [with the handheld radio, a nonstandard traffic pattern, and an airplane that hadn’t flown in a dozen years] and perhaps lack of familiarity with the “piano key” gear switch in early Bonanzas apparently interrupted otherwise good technique. Gear extension is much more than movement of a switch—it involves confirming the noise, the change in airplane handling and performance, and indicating systems all show the gear is down for landing. This incident serves to remind us that persons of all experience levels can have a “bad day” if they do not fully confirm gear position prior to touchdown. Another comment: most aviation insurance policies exclude coverage when the airplane is operated on an FAA special flight authorization, i.e., a “ferry permit.” Contact your agent or broker several days in advance of moving an airplane on a ferry permit to ensure your policy is endorsed to provide coverage. It would be especially tragic to pay an insurance premium only to find there’s no coverage in a case such as this.)

8/10 0410Z (0010 local): A Be58’s midnight landing at Monroeville, Pennsylvania ended when the aircraft “landed hard” and “skidded across the runway into the grass and blew out (its) main tires.” Interestingly, the Baron was “left abandoned at the airport.” Injury to those aboard is not reported; damage is “unknown” and weather “not reported.” N81HL (TH-1662) is/was a 1992 Model 58 registered since 2003 to a corporation in Memphis, Tennessee.

(“Hard landing—loss of directional control”; “Night”)

8/10 1820Z (1420 local): Six aboard a Be36 escaped injury when the Bonanza’s landing gear collapsed during rollout at Prattville, Alabama. The airplane, completing a trip from Sugarland, Texas, has “minor” damage. Weather: 3300 broken 5500 broken, visibility 10 with surface winds at six knots. N1541W (E-327) is a 1972 A36 registered since 2003 to a flying club in Houston, Texas.

(“Gear collapse on landing”—a reader and member of the flying club that owns this Bonanza [but not the pilot at the time of mishap] reports: “N1541W indeed suffered a gear extension problem. The pilot in command placed the gear lever in the down position and noted that the green lights

did not illuminate. He cycled the gear twice more - still no lights He proceeded to the emergency gear extension procedure [that he and I had practiced in his pilot checkout the week before]. He cranked until he could crank no more - the handle would not move any more. He noticed that the gear lights were not lit, but the gear did appear to be down in the two convex mirrors on the wingtips. He then proceeded to do a nice gentle landing - and the gear collapsed under the weight of the plane. Plane…will be inspected by maintenance and FAA to determine why the gear would not come down. (It) will need a new prop, engine teardown and time will tell what else. Appears that pilot did all the ‘right stuff’. Fortunately no injuries.” I believe this same airplane was involved in a door pen/gear up scenario within the last few years…is it possible some unseen strain on the gear mechanism went uncorrected until this mishap?)

NEW NTSB PRELIMINARY REPORTS: All previously reported in the Weekly Accident Update, and subject to update per NTSB findings.

**7/13 H35 runway overrun on landing after pulling up to avoid a dog on the runway, at Oregon City, Oregon.**

**7/29 B23 brake lock-up on landing, followed by collision with a parked Cessna 180, at Fallbrook, California (not Fallon, Nevada, as first reported).

**8/1 B55 gear collapse on landing at Tucson, Arizona. Change “Loss of directional control on landing” to “Gear collapse on landing.” As speculated in the initial WAU report, the Baron’s pilot was making an unexpected return to the departure airport, in this case to retrieve forgotten business documents. Was the gear collapse precipitated by a time-pressured high-speed landing? **

**8/6 fatal D35 crash on takeoff at Decatur, Alabama, cited above.**

8/18/05 Report

UPDATE

Re: this report, from last week:

(“Gear up landing”; “Recent registration”—there may be a “known mechanical” cause to this mishap, given that it touched down short and gear up at the same time, and in the grass)

A reader provides this update:

“I have looked at the airplane and the pilot did an incredible job of intentionally landing in the grass with the gear up, props feathered and engines shut down after he was unable to extend the gear either electrically or manually (at least that is the story being passed around at the airport). The airplane was enroute from Florida to Maine with an intended stop at Suffolk for fuel. The grass was 3-4 inches and the ground was somewhat soft due to some rain off and on over the previous few days. The day after landing, the plane was lifted and the gear extended. Except for one prop blade that is slightly bent, it is hard to see any damage except for some grass around the stub of one antenna that was partially sheared off.”

As speculated in last week’s report, change “Gear up landing” to “Landing gear: known mechanical malfunction”. Thanks, reader, for your on-the-scene report).

NEW REPORTS THIS WEEK

7/2 1830Z (1430 local): A Be33 suffered “substantial” damage, although its two occupants were unhurt, when it landed short of the runway on attempted touchdown, at East Hampton, New York. “According to the pilot, he was aiming to land on the ‘numbers’ for runway 28. During the short final leg of the approach, the airplane's sink rate increased. The airplane landed ‘a few feet’ short of the runway.” Visual weather conditions prevailed. N3YP (CE-32) is a 1966 C33A registered since 1992 to an individual in North Haven, Connecticut.

(“Landed short”; “Substantial damage”)

8/16 0240Z (2240 local): During a night ;landing at Charleston, South Carolina, a Be36 struck a deer. The solo pilot was not injured; damage is “unknown” and weather “not reported.” N26BR (E-2072) is a 1983 A36 very recently (7/29/05) registered to a corporation in Huntsville, Alabama.

(“Impact with animal on runway during landing”; “Night”; “Recent registration”)

NEW NTSB PRELIMINARY REPORTS: All previously reported in the Weekly Accident Update, and subject to update per NTSB findings.

**7/2 C33A short-of-the-runway landing at East Hampton, New York, cited above.**

**7/30 B36TC incomplete manual gear extension following electrical failure in flight (with an electrically driven oil pressure gauge possibly providing falsely low readings that promted the pilot’s landing), at Scottsdale, Arizona.**

**8/2 A23 fuel starvaton with three “serious” injuries, at Rancho Murietta, California. From the NTSB: “With the student pilot positioned in the left seat, the flight was intended to be a training flight…. While on base leg of the traffic pattern the engine experienced a loss of power. The airplane impacted terrain about 1/4 mile to the east of the runway surface, coming to rest on a riverbank…. An examination of the left fuel tank revealed it was full with fuel; the right fuel tank was empty. The FAA inspector could not find any evidence that the right fuel tank had been breached, noting no perforations. The fuel selector valve was positioned on the right tank…. The student pilot further stated that while conducting a preflight…prior to departing on the accident flight, the CFI asked her to put some items in the baggage compartment. She did not check the airplane's fuel quantity and could not recollect if the CFI finished the preflight inspection. While on the base leg of the traffic pattern for runway 22, the engine quit and the CFI took control of the airplane. The student pilot remembered pointing out a field that was in close proximity, but the CFI continued in the direction of the airport. The student pilot did not recall the CFI manipulating the fuel selector or turning the fuel pump on.” Change “Approach/unknown” to “Fuel starvation” and add “Dual instruction.” How might this have been prevented?**

**8/5 double-fatality V35B controlled flight into terrain during climb, at Denali Park, Alaska. Change “Weather not reported” to “VMC”**

**8/6 A36 fuel exhaustion at Nashua, New Hampshire.**

8/25/05 Report

FROM UNOFFICIAL SOURCES

(8/15, time not reported): A reader quotes a newspaper item as follows:

“2 days after a small plane disappeared over the north Georgia mountains searchers discovered the plane on a wooded mountain side with pilot dead. Capt. Paige Joyner of (the Civil Air Patrol) said (the owner), of Sherrills Ford, (North Carolina) was killed when his V35 plane crashed near Springer Mountain. No one else on board. (The) plane went missing Monday afternoon during a nonstop flight from Lake Norman NC to Smyrna Tenn. (An) ELT (signal) led them to the crash site.”

(“Crash/Unknown”; “Fatal”; “Aircraft [presumed] destroyed”—oddly, this has not yet appeared on any official websites. It is distinctly different from the 8/17 A36 “missing aircraft,” reported below, so I don’t think there was confusion about the type or location)

NEW REPORTS THIS WEEK

8/17 2313Z (1813 local): En route IFR from Gadsden, Alabama to Somerset, Kentucky, contact with a Be36 was lost and the Bonanza became subject of an ALNOT (Alert Notice). Wreckage was subsequently found in a wooded area near Jamestown, Tennessee, along the route of flight. The two aboard were found dead, the airplane “destroyed.” Weather data for the time and area of the crash is not reported. N1824W (E-386) was a 1973 A36 registered since 1994 to a co-ownership based in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

(“Crash/Unknown”; “Fatal”; “Aircraft destroyed”)

8/18 1500Z (0800 local): “”While taxiing to park,” a Be76 “struck the right wingtip of a parked and unoccupied aircraft,” at Yuma, Arizona. The solo pilot of the Duchess was unhurt; damage is “minor” and there’ no report of damage to the parked aircraft. Weather: not reported. N6021D (ME-336) is a 1980 Model 76 recently (May 2005) registered to a corporation in Marana, Arizona.

(“Taxied into object/pedestrian/other aircraft”; “Recent registration”)

8/20 1540Z (1140 local): During an “attempted go around on landing,” the “wing tip (of a Be36) touched the ground and (the Bonanza) spun out,” at Holland, Michigan. The four aboard report no injury despite “substantial” aircraft damage. Weather at Holland was “clear and 10” with a nine-knot surface wind. N6222V (E-3) is a 1968 Model 36 registered since 2001 to an individual in Holland.

(“Impact with obstacle—wing tip contact during attempted go-around”; “Substantial damage”)

8/20 2113Z (1413 local): A Be36’s landing gear collapsed on rollout at San Luis Obispo, California. The tow aboard were not hurt; damage is “minor.” Weather: “clear and 10” with a 10-knot wind. N17803 (E-1031) is a 1977 A36 registered since 2002 to an individual in Grants Pass, Oregon.

(“Gear collapse on landing”)

8/21 2130Z (1430 local): “On departure,” a Be36 “struck (its) left wing” on an obstacle, at Heraldsburg, California. The pilot subsequently “landed safely,” sparing the three aboard from injury. Damage is “substantial.” Weather was “clear and 10” with a variable, six-knot wind. N7226M (E-2228) is a 1985 A36 very recently registered (8/9/2005) to an individual in Las Vegas, Nevada.

(“Impact with obstacle—wing tip contact during takeoff”; “Substantial damage”; “Recent registration”)

NEW NTSB PRELIMINARY REPORTS: All previously reported in the Weekly Accident Update, and subject to update per NTSB findings.

**There are no newly posted piston Beech NTSB preliminary reports this week**

8/31/05 Report

UPDATE

Regarding this report:

and my commentary, the pilot of the mishap airplane reports: “(I) just reviewed your commentary on my landing incident at Jabara Airport on August 8th. You saw through the fog generated by the hype of the reporter (I interviewed with her to save some of the inevitable explanations and to help deflect the usual 1/4 truths the press usually puts forward about aviation). Your are just about 100 % accurate in your assessment of what really happened…. During my final GUMP check, I firmly believe that as I touched the detent of the gear switch (I make it a practice to always touch the control or switch as I verbalize the checklist) and simultaneously extended the flaps the remaining 10 degrees, the aerodynamic changes of the gear retracting were masked by the flaps extending (together with a noisy flap motor). The sun was at my 1130 during final to runway 18 and bright.

It was difficult to see the mechanical indicator during final approach however, I clearly recall moving my knee to verify indication but did not notice that the gear switch had spring loaded away (up) from the mid position where I had placed it following gear extension. It is true

that the piano switch was not something I had actuated in flight before...only during the maintenance checks the day before. (It was) a humbling and expensive lesson to be sure and one that I will not forget.” One follow-up (where the pilot granted permission to be quoted) he added: “I did have insurance…however, under the circumstances I withdrew the claim. It would not have been much of a payout, and would have raised my rates unnecessarily. 93V will be in my ranch hangar and under restoration in a week or so. If I had it to do over again...I would fly gear down on a maintenance ferry.” Thanks reader, and good luck with the restoration!

Regarding this report:

The pilot, a WAU reader, permits me to print this update: “Despite the legal definition of "substantial" damage, my beautiful bird is far from being down for the count. There is a good chance I will have it back before my (insurance policy’s) replacement rental coverage runs out, (67 days from the date of the incident/accident, still to be decided which they are going to call it.). The repair process started the same day.

“The gory and embarrassing details are as follows: I had three Young Eagles passengers on board. Only one of these three siblings had ever been in any type of aircraft before, (a commercial flight), and they were about as excited as you've ever seen. The oldest brother sat up front with me and the younger brother and sister sat in the rear. By the time we leveled off it was already apparent that the two younger kids were having a great time and older brother, definitely, was not. This, of course, was an additional great source of amusement for the pair in the rear seats and they were soon having a raucous good time teasing their elder brother about his ‘wimp’ status. I almost asked them to be quiet as I started the approach to land, but, Young Eagles is all about letting the kids have a great time….(distraction) #1. I was probably about 20 feet above the runway when I finally ‘heard’ the gear horn and about a second later the pilot coming in behind me got on the radio and hollered ‘no gear, abort, abort!’ I had already started (putting) the gear down and had put the flaps full down when I turned short final, so I had a dirty airplane, in a flare, and still heeded the call to abort (distraction) #2. When I shoved the throttle in the left wing dipped and touched the tip (to the ground), spinning the plane off the 40' wide runway and sliding through the dirt. The wing came back up with minimal damage, but then the nose gear snapped

off under the strain of sliding sideways which was followed by the right main collapsing. The plane slid to a slow stop, (the inertia reels on the shoulder harnesses never even tightened up), as I was shutting off the fuel and the masters, and ended up with her nose down in the dirt and only

the left main still locked in the down position. After determining that there were no injuries, other than my very bruised ego, I had the kids get out of the plane and go let their folks know that they were fine. I did not allow the use of a boom truck to lift the plane. Instead, I had friends from the fire department, (I used to be one of them), use their air bags to lift on the jack point and then pulled the right main down and braced it into place. We placed the nose of the plane on a trailer

and then towed the trailer and plane to a hangar, where I put the plane up on jacks and drained the fuel into drums, in preparation for the repairs ahead…. If I had it to do over again: #1, I would ask the kids to be quiet once I entered the pattern. Please don't think I am blaming them, it's

MY job to minimize distractions and to not let them affect me when they are present. #2, I don't believe that, at the point I was at, I should have tried to abort/go around. One pilot witness, on the ground, told me that there was five or six inches of air under the mains when they reached the

down position, (he didn't note the position of the nose gear). Who knows, I might have made a butt puckering, but uneventful, landing if I had just finished trying it. Even if the gear had collapsed, I might have stayed on the runway, although that certainly wouldn't have guaranteed less overall damage. The great news is that, despite my poor performance, no one got

so much as a scratch or a bruise….”

Thanks, reader, for your heartfelt reminder that we are all susceptible to distractions and must remain disciplined to landing gear procedures, especially in unusual situations. Thanks also for the reminder to include control during a go-around from low speed and altitude, reviewing the Bonanza’s tendency to roll to the left with power application at low speed if not corrected, in our recurrent training. Best of luck with returning the airplane speedily to service. (Change “Impact with obstacle—wing tip contact during attempted go-around” to “Gear up landing”)

NEW REPORTS THIS WEEK

8/23 1258Z (0858 local): Taxiing in a non-movement area at Niagara, New York, a Be55 “rolled into” at parked Cessna 152. Two aboard the Baron were unhurt; both aircraft sustained “minor” damage. Weather: 1800 scattered, 16,000 scattered, visibility 10 with a seven-knot wind. N32CD (TE-972) is a 1974 E55 registered since 1989 to an individual in Destin, Florida.

(“Taxied into object/pedestrian/other aircraft”)

8/25 1455Z (0755 local): En route at 7500 feet, a Be33 “lost power” and “crashed on landing” at Alturus Airport, Alturas, California. The solo pilot was not hurt despite “substantial” aircraft damage. Weather at KAAT was “clear and 10” with calm winds. N337Z (CD-228) is a 1961 A33 registered since 2001 to an individual in Auburn, California.

(“Engine failure in flight”; “Substantial damage”—sounds like a good job getting the airplane to an airport. ‘Substantial’ damage may have been a hard impact or something as benign as a belly landing if the pilot chose that as his/her best alternative)

NEW NTSB PRELIMINARY REPORTS: All previously reported in the Weekly Accident Update, and subject to update per NTSB findings.

**There are no newly posted piston Beech NTSB preliminary reports this week**

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