Beech 95-B55 (T42A) N8313N accident near St. Petersburg, Florida

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to extend the landing gear prior to landing. Contributing to the accident was a malfunction of the landing gear’s electrical retraction/extension system, which tripped the circuit breaker.

NTSB analysis

The pilot of the multi-engine airplane departed from the airplane’s home airport on a cross-country flight. The pilot stated that the takeoff and initial climb were normal; however, shortly after departure, he noted that the alternators went offline and the battery began to discharge. The pilot attempted to restore the alternators by resetting the switches and field circuit breakers. Unable to regain alternator functionality, the pilot elected to abort the flight and return to the departure airport. The pilot reported that he attempted to extend the landing gear and heard the gear motor operate. During the return to the airport, the pilot reported additional electrical issues, such as the airplane’s primary flight display turning off and rebooting. While on final approach to the airport, the pilot reported that the landing gear down and locked light was not illuminated; however, the mechanical tab on the floorboard indicated the landing gear was down. Upon touchdown, the landing gear collapsed, and the airplane skidded down the runway to a stop resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. Surveillance images of the airplane as it was on final approach revealed that the nose landing gear was not extended and the main landing gear appeared to be at least partially extended. Had the pilot coordinated with the control tower to observe the landing gear position, it is possible that they would have been able to alert the pilot that all of the landing gear were not fully extended.

Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the landing gear motor circuit breaker had tripped and that the landing gear was capable of being extended and locked in place using the emergency extension system. The examination also revealed that both alternator belts were in place on the alternators, and the battery had sufficient voltage to operate the airplane’s electrical system. Since the landing gear was able to be extended using the emergency extension system, it is likely that the landing gear circuit breaker had tripped due to an electrical wiring issue or an issue with the landing gear motor.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA25LA343 for the full record.