No fatalities

28 Apr 2008: Beech 76 — Skymates, Inc. — Cleburne, TX

Cleburne, TX, United States

On 28 Apr 2008, a Beech 76 operated by Skymates, Inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Cleburne, TX. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The failure of the flight instructor and student pilot to extend the landing gear prior to the airplane touching down on the runway. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During a simulated engine failure practice, a flight instructor and student pilot landed with the landing gear retracted, resulting in damage to the rear wing spar cap. No injuries occurred.

Overview

An instructional flight involving a flight instructor and a student pilot was conducted to practice simulated engine failures in the airport traffic pattern. Both occupants reported that the airplane was configured for landing during the approach. The subsequent landing occurred with the landing gear retracted, and the airplane came to rest on the runway. Neither the flight instructor nor the student pilot sustained injuries.

Sequence of Events

According to the reports from the flight instructor and student pilot, the practice session involved performing simulated engine failures while operating within the airport traffic pattern. The approach was flown with the airplane configured for a normal landing. However, upon touchdown, the landing gear was not extended, resulting in a gear-up landing. The airplane skidded along the runway surface before coming to a stop.

Inspection Findings

Post-accident examination of the airplane revealed that the rear wing spar cap had been damaged during contact with the paved runway. The damage was localized to the spar cap area. No other structural damages were noted in the initial inspection.

Recovery

During the recovery process, the landing gear was extended using the gear handle without any anomalies. The system functioned as designed, indicating that the gear retraction mechanism was not the cause of the incident. The Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1) was not submitted to the NTSB investigator-in-charge.

Contributing factors

PilotStudent pilot