Beechcraft D95 N8950U

Summary

On 23 April 2015 at about 20:16 local time, a Beechcraft D95 registered N8950U, operated by B G E Enterprises LLC, was involved in an accident near Jacksonville, Florida, 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

23 April 2015 at 20:16

Classification

Accident

Location

Jacksonville, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Jacksonville Executive At Crai (CRG)

Coordinates

30.3364, -81.5144

Aircraft

Beechcraft D95

Registration

N8950U

Category

Airplane

Year built

1965

Engines

2

Operator

B G E Enterprises LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Harrison → Jacksonville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA15LA202

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to properly configure the airplane for landing. Contributing to the accident were pilot fatigue, distraction, and complacency and the failure of the landing gear warning horn to sound for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot/owner reported that an air traffic controller vectored the airplane for the final approach for landing after the cross-country flight. The pilot noted that he performed the Before Landing checklist by rote and inadvertently positioned the flap handle believing that it was the landing gear handle. He added that he heard an electric motor actuate and that the airplane's speed and handling responded in a familiar fashion, so he continued the landing approach. The airplane subsequently landed with the landing gear retracted, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane. The pilot reported that he did not confirm that the three green landing gear lights on the instrument panel had illuminated before landing but that the landing gear warning horn did not sound. The pilot also reported that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. After recovery, the airplane was placed on jacks, and the landing gear was extended and retracted with no anomalies noted. The airplane was then configured for landing, and the throttles were reduced to the idle-power position. Once configured, the landing gear warning horn did not sound as prescribed. Troubleshooting of the gear warning horn could not be performed; therefore, the cause of the horn malfunction could not be determined. The pilot reported that he experienced lengthy delays earlier in his trip, which lengthened his duty day and resulted in fatigue. The pilot stated that fatigue, distractions, and complacency could have been mitigated by a "strict adherence to the checklist and visual verification of gear status."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.