On February 10, 1991, a Beech B95 (registration N2712Y) operated by Joseph Sheble Iii was involved in an aviation accident near Riverside, CA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO FOLLOW THE EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION PROCEDURE TO FULLY EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO MONITOR THE CONDITION OF THE ELECTRICAL POWER SYSTEM, LEADING TO THE COMPLETE LOSS OF… This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A commercial pilot and two passengers experienced a complete electrical failure en route. The pilot landed before dark but did not fully extend the landing gear, which collapsed on taxiway touchdown.
Incident Overview
A certificated commercial pilot and two passengers were en route to their destination airport on an instrument flight plan when a complete electrical failure occurred. The pilot failed to notice that both ammeters were reading zero due to the failure of both current limiters in the charging system. Consequently, the battery was depleted and all electrical power was lost.
Emergency Landing
Faced with the loss of electrical power, the pilot elected to land before dark. During the landing, the pilot failed to follow the emergency gear extension procedure to fully extend the landing gear. Upon landing on a taxiway at a military air force base, the gear collapsed.
Findings
The investigation noted that the electrical failure originated from the failure of both current limiters in the charging system, leading to zero readings on both ammeters. The pilot's subsequent actions did not include proper emergency gear extension, resulting in the gear collapse upon touchdown.