On October 11, 1996, a Beech BE-55B (registration N179DP) was involved in an aviation accident near Bellville, TX. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's stall of the airplane during the landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing and departure from the runway. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot stalled the aircraft during the landing flare on a dark night approach to a short runway with obstacles, causing the left wing to strike the ground and the gear to collapse.
What happened
The flight occurred at night under dark conditions. The pilot was conducting an approach to a runway that measured only 2,500 feet in length. The approach path was complicated by the presence of trees and transmission lines located near the threshold.
According to the pilot's account, the approach was flown with the flaps retracted. During the landing flare, just before touchdown, the airplane stalled from an altitude of approximately 10 to 12 feet above the ground. The stall resulted in the left wing striking the pavement first. This impact caused the left main gear to collapse. Following the collapse of the landing gear, the airplane departed the runway.
Findings
The primary factor in this accident was the stall during the landing flare. Contributing factors included the dark night conditions and the short runway length with surrounding obstacles.
Probable cause
The pilot's stall of the airplane during the landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing and departure from the runway.