Introduction
On April 24, 2012, at 1704 central daylight time, a Beech 58, registration N8121R, experienced a gear-up landing on runway 33 at Joe Foss Field Airport (FSD) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, was uninjured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The aircraft was operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local flight, which had departed from Marv Skie-Lincoln County Airport (Y14) in Tea, South Dakota.
Sequence of Events
According to the pilot, after takeoff from Y14, he was unable to fully retract the landing gear, and the landing gear position indicator transition light remained illuminated. He reset the landing gear circuit breaker, which had tripped, but it tripped again. Attempting to extend the landing gear using the manual extension system, the pilot found the crank arm stuck. Unable to extend the gear, the pilot performed a gear-up landing on runway 33 at FSD, resulting in substantial fuselage damage.
Postaccident Examination
An airframe and powerplant mechanic who recovered the airplane reported that the landing gear was extended to half of its travel. When the airplane was raised for recovery, the landing gear retracted into the wheel wells using the airplane's electrical system. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector noted that during recovery, the manual landing gear extension handle was difficult to turn.
Postaccident examination of the landing gear system revealed that the gear operated normally when actuated about 10 times. There was no obstruction in the landing gear transmission, and operation of the landing gear electric motor did not produce any unusual noises. The stop within the transmission did not provide an over-center position, and the landing gear system rods were not deformed. The electric motor bore a 1996 date stamp, and there was no record of it having been overhauled or repaired.