Beechcraft B55 N1580W

Summary

On 27 April 1996 at about 18:30 local time, a Beechcraft B55 registered N1580W was involved in an accident near Lynchburg, Virginia, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 April 1996 at 18:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Lynchburg, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Preston Glenn Field (LYH)

Coordinates

37.3595, -79.2194

Aircraft

Beechcraft B55

Registration

N1580W

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Islip → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD96LA068

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, which resulted in an inadvertent ground loop/swerve and landing gear collapse. A related factor was the strong crosswind.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that when he completed his preflight inspection of the airplane, he noticed that the right main landing gear strut was flat. A mechanic inflated the strut, and the pilot took off. During the landing roll on runway 21 at the destination airport, when the nosewheel touched the runway, the aircraft veered to the left. The pilot applied full right rudder and brake, but the aircraft exited the runway collapsing the main landing gear. The pilot reported that there was no mechanical malfunction and that the ground loop forces caused the main landing gear to collapse from side forces. The pilot stated that the winds were out of 240 degrees at 18 knots. Postaccident examination revealed no evidence of preimpact anomaly.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.