Accident Overview
On January 18, 2017, at 1630 mountain standard time, a Beech 95-C55, registration N303QB, executed a gear-up landing at Blake Field Airport in Delta, Colorado. The pilot reported being unable to extend the landing gear using both normal and emergency procedures. The airplane sustained substantial damage upon contact with the runway surface. The pilot, who was the sole occupant and operator, was uninjured. The flight was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight and was not operating on a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight originated from an unknown location.
Pilot and Aircraft Information
The pilot was also the registered owner and operator of the aircraft. Following the accident, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Investigator-In-Charge made multiple email and phone requests for the pilot to submit a Pilot Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report (Form 6120.1) and provide his pilot logbook. These requests were not complied with.
Post-Accident Examination
A post-accident disassembly examination of the landing gearbox was conducted at a maintenance facility. The gearbox exterior had three labels: one from "Beech Aircraft Corporation" with part number "95-810017-23 ECH" and serial number "94-B-479"; a second from "Beechcraft Rebuilt Part" with identical part and serial numbers; and a third from "Cruiseair Aviation, Inc." with no part or serial number annotated. The examination revealed that the sector gear was positioned against the stop with such force that the stop's bolt could not be removed until the assembly half screws were removed. The sector gear teeth were partially sheared and bound with worm gear teeth, causing interference. Once the gear was turned past the sheared area, the assembly operated normally.
Maintenance History
An airplane logbook entry dated November 22, 2014, at a tachometer time of 5,211.40 hours and unknown total time, noted that the landing gear failed to electrically extend and the emergency gear handle was difficult to turn during the first two turns. The landing gearbox was sent to "Cruiseair" for "repair/inspection." The gearbox, part number "95-810017-25" and serial number "94-13-479," was overhauled and reinstalled. The entry stated that no defects were found after cycling the landing gear three times and performing an emergency extension.
Another entry dated July 19, 2016, at an airplane total time of 5,239.7 hours, indicated that during an annual inspection, the "landing gear, motor, and actuating linkage" were inspected. The airplane was placed on jacks, and the landing gear was cycled and an emergency extension was performed with "satisfactory results."