On February 19, 1984, a Beech A36 (registration N9876T) was involved in an aviation accident near Santa Monica, CA. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During a flight after takeoff, the pilot experienced an electrical system failure while retracting the landing gear, followed by a loss of engine power. The pilot hand-cranked the gear down and received a landing light from the tower, but upon touchdown, the gear was not extended. Examination found a disconnected magneto P-lead.
Incident Overview
After takeoff, the pilot attempted to retract the landing gear when the electrical system failed. In response, the pilot decided to return to the airport for landing. Shortly thereafter, the engine lost power. The pilot then manually cranked the landing gear to the down position and received a light signal from the tower to proceed with landing. However, upon landing, the gear was not extended, resulting in a gear-up landing.
Examination Findings
Post-incident examination of the aircraft revealed that the P-lead on a magneto had become disconnected. No other preaccident or mechanical discrepancies were found during the inspection. The investigation did not identify any additional issues with the aircraft's systems or structure beyond the disconnected magneto lead.