Beech B95 N1572L accident near Lumberton, New Jersey

Probable cause

The pilot's inadvertent retraction of the landing gear during the landing rollout.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was conducting his fourth landing when the cabin door came open on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern. The pilot stated that he flew the approach at a faster-than-normal airspeed, and that the landing and landing rollout were normal. About 1,500 feet after touchdown, the airplane's nose landing gear collapsed, followed by the left main landing gear, then the right main landing gear. Following the accident, the landing gear was manually extended and locked in position, and the airplane was towed off the runway. During postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the airplane was placed on jacks and the landing gear was extended and retracted several times, with no discrepancies noted. The pilot stated to the FAA inspector that it was his habit to retract the wing flaps during the landing rollout. The wing flaps were observed in an intermediate position, and the flap selector was observed in the "UP" position.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA10LA193 for the full record.