Beechcraft 95B55 N7371R

Summary

On 1 April 2024 at about 16:00 local time, a Beechcraft 95B55 registered N7371R was involved in an accident near St. Augustine, 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

1 April 2024 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

St. Augustine, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Northeast Florida Regional Air (SGJ)

Coordinates

29.9593, -81.3397

Aircraft

Beechcraft 95B55

Registration

N7371R

Category

Airplane

Year built

1974

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24LA214

Nobody was injured.

The incomplete extension of the landing gear into the down-and-locked position for reasons that could not be determined. .

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and the pilot-rated passenger, who was also a mechanic, were conducting a post-maintenance flight test after an extensive annual inspection of the airplane. Shortly after takeoff, the airplane lost complete electrical power. The pilot turned back toward the airport, while the pilot-rated passenger contacted the control tower with his mobile phone and declared an emergency. The pilot said that he, with some help from the pilot-rated passenger, attempted to manually lower the landing gear with the emergency gear extension handle; however, he may not have been able to get the landing gear fully extended to the down and locked position. When the airplane touched down on the runway, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane went off the right side of the runway and collided with a runway sign, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage and right wing. A postaccident examination of the airplane’s electrical system revealed no mechanical issues and the reason for the loss of electrical power could not be determined from the available information. A functional test of the landing gear system could not be performed due to damage sustained during the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.