No fatalities

Landing Gear Collapse During Touchdown After Electrical Failure

Mt. Vernon, IL, United States

On July 5, 2014, a BEECH 35 33 NO SERIES operated by Don E Rosenthal was involved in an aviation accident near Mt. Vernon, IL. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to ensure the landing gear was extended into the fully locked position. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot reported an electrical failure en route. After lowering gear with normal indications and manual locking, the right main and nose gear collapsed on touchdown, causing substantial wing damage. An FAA inspection found the electrical system reliable.

Incident Details

A pilot experienced an electrical failure while en route to the destination airport. Upon approach, the pilot lowered the landing gear using the gear switch handle. He reported hearing the landing gear lower and feeling the airplane slow down. Normal indications confirmed that the landing gear was down, and the pilot visually verified the gear position using the mirror on the left wing. Additionally, the pilot used the manual crank to ensure the gear was in the locked position.

Landing and Damage

As the airplane touched down, the right landing gear and nose gear collapsed. The right wing sustained substantial damage. The extent of other damage was not reported.

Examination

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane's electrical system. The examination showed system reliability, indicating no issues with the electrical components.

Conclusion

No probable cause was determined from the available information. The investigation did not identify a causal factor for the gear collapse.

Contributing factors

Pilot