Beechcraft 58 N4199S

Summary

On 11 September 2015 at about 01:35 local time, a Beechcraft 58 registered N4199S, operated by Midwest Air Link, was involved in an accident near Gary, Indiana, United States. One person was 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

11 September 2015 at 01:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Gary, Indiana, United States

Nearest airport

Gary/Chicago International Air (GYY)

Coordinates

41.6172, -87.4144

Aircraft

Beechcraft 58

Registration

N4199S

Category

Airplane

Year built

1976

Engines

2

Operator

Midwest Air Link

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Columbus → Gary

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CEN15LA415

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to ensure that the landing gear was down while on short final, his subsequent failure to conduct a go-around, and his loss of situational awareness of the airplane’s altitude above the runway while landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he lowered the landing gear about 5 miles from the airport while flying an instrument approach. While on short final and as he was turning off the airplane's positioning lights so that the landing gear indicator lights would brighten, the propellers struck the runway, indicating that he likely loss situational awareness of the airplane's altitude above the runway. The airplane then skidded on its belly on the runway. The examination of the airplane revealed that the wing spar sustained substantial damage. The nose landing gear (NLG) doors sustained scraping damage consistent with the NLG being retracted upon touchdown. During postaccident examinations, the main landing gear and NLG lowered and raised normally, and the landing gear indicator lights operated normally. The landing checklist should be accomplished after the landing gear is lowered and the airplane is in the landing configuration. While on short final, if there are doubts about the landing gear configuration, a go-around should be accomplished. Given that the pilot had not ensured that the landing gear was down, he should have conducted a go-around.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.