Beechcraft 95-C55 N282JL

Summary

On 28 April 2004 at about 21:20 local time, a Beechcraft 95-C55 registered N282JL was involved in an accident near Rifle, Colorado, United States. 2 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

28 April 2004 at 21:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Rifle, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Garfield County Regional (RIL)

Coordinates

39.5291, -107.7701

Aircraft

Beechcraft 95-C55

Registration

N282JL

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Telluride → Glenwood Spring

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN04LA075

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's failure to verify the manual extension of the landing gear resulting in an inadvertent wheels up landing. Contributing factors include the electrical systems failure for undetermined reasons, the pilot's diverted attention and the pilot's improper in-flight planning and decision making.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, while en route to his home base, he experienced an electrical system malfunction. Due to the wind gust conditions at his home base, he elected to divert to a second airport. While on approach to the second airport, the airplane's electrical system became more erratic, which included the illumination of all warning lights on the digital exhaust gas temperature (EGT) gauge and the indication of "extreme" engine temperatures of over 1,650 degrees. Shortly thereafter, the electrical system failed. He immediately attempted to lower the flaps and landing gear, but the flaps only partially lowered. The pilot hand cranked the landing gear half way down, but because of the severe turbulence, asked his passenger to assist him while he flew the airplane. When the passenger finished, the pilot verified that the landing gear crank had "quit turning." The pilot stated that, due to the "extreme danger" of a possible engine fire, he elected not to attempt a fly-by to verify that the landing gear was extended. When he attempted to land on runway 26, he felt both propellers strike the runway. When he "cut" the power to both engines, the airplane settled onto the runway, and slid approximately 1,000 feet before coming to a stop on the grass just off the right side of the runway. The pilot realized that the passenger had inadvertently raised the landing gear, resulting in an unintentional gear-retracted landing. Later, it was determined that several fractured propeller pieces had impacted the fuselage resulting in substantial damage to several fuselage bulkheads. An examination of the airplane's electrical system, which included a 2-hour ferry flight, showed no anomalies.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.