No fatalities

18 Mar 2016: BEECH 58 G — DESE ENTERPRISES LLC — Huntsville, AL

Huntsville, AL, United States

On 18 Mar 2016, a BEECH 58 G operated by DESE ENTERPRISES LLC was involved in an aviation accident near Huntsville, AL. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to extend the landing gear prior to touchdown resulting in a landing with the landing gear retracted and consequent substantial damage. 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

A pilot inadvertently landed a single-engine airplane with the landing gear retracted during a maintenance test flight. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to its left wing, left aileron, and bottom fuselage. The pilot reported no mechanical failures before or during the flight.

Accident Overview

During a maintenance test flight, the pilot executed a normal approach to the runway. However, the pilot reported that he did not extend the landing gear prior to touchdown, resulting in the airplane contacting the runway with the landing gear retracted. The aircraft subsequently came to rest on the runway with the gear still up.

Damage Assessment

The accident caused substantial damage to the left wing, left aileron, and the underside of the fuselage. The extent of damage required repairs before the aircraft could be returned to service.

Pilot Report

The pilot stated that there were no mechanical failures or anomalies with the airplane before or during the flight that would have prevented normal operation. The flight was conducted solely for maintenance purposes, and the approach was performed under visual conditions. No other factors were cited as contributing to the event.

No injuries were reported among the pilot or any ground personnel.

Contributing factors

PilotNot used/operated