Beechcraft 55 N854T

Summary

On 13 September 2019 at about 23:30 local time, a Beechcraft 55 registered N854T was involved in an accident near Sebring, Florida, 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

13 September 2019 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Sebring, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Sebring Rgnl (SEF)

Coordinates

27.4564, -81.3425

Aircraft

Beechcraft 55

Registration

N854T

Category

Airplane

Year built

1974

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Pierce → Sebring

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

ERA19CA291

Nobody was injured.

The passenger’s inadvertent retraction of the landing gear during the landing roll without being instructed to do so by the pilot.   

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, shortly after landing, the passenger, without his permission or guidance, retracted the landing gear. The airplane impacted the runway, slid about 600 ft, and then came to rest. The pilot-rated passenger reported that, without the pilot's guidance, he mistakenly raised the gear handle then quickly lowered it again, thinking it was the flap handle, and that he was attempting to assist the pilot. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the center wing spar.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.