Accident Details
On March 21, 2017, at approximately 2056 eastern daylight time, a Beech 95-B55 airplane, registration N62RF, was substantially damaged during an accident at Long Island MacArthur Airport (ISP) in Islip, New York. The pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Flight Sequence
The pilot reported that he planned to perform three full-stop night landings at ISP with taxi back to maintain currency. After contacting air traffic control for clearance, he departed ISP, flew to the Calverton VOR/DME (CCC), and subsequently was vectored to the final approach course for runway 24. He had also loaded the instrument landing system approach into his GPS for situational awareness. On final approach, he used his written checklist and performed the GUMPFs check (gas, undercarriage, mixture, props, flaps) several times. The pilot stated that the airplane touched down normally on the runway, then dropped and skidded to a stop.
Post-Accident Observations
After the accident, the airplane was observed on the runway on its belly with no landing gear extended. It was recovered by lifting it and manually extending the landing gear. Examination revealed extensive damage to the underside of the fuselage, including ground-down, scraped, and torn sheet metal. Substantial damage was noted to the forward spar carry through and the left side keel beam. Additional damage was found to the pitot tube, left engine exhaust tips, both propellers, the nose landing gear door, the left and right main landing gear doors, and the left and right wing flaps. No evidence of damage to the landing gear system linkages and retraction rods was noted.
Landing Gear System Tests
Operational checks of the landing gear system were performed using the airplane’s electrical power and the manual gear extension system. The landing gear retracted electrically, with indicator lights transitioning from green to in-transit. Due to damage, the gear could not be extended with the gear motor but extended manually. All indications operated properly; the landing gear horn sounded when required, and the indicator lights showed green when the gear were down and locked.
Pilot Statements
In a postaccident interview, the pilot stated he believed he had “three green lights which indicated that his landing gear was down and locked.” He recalled a similar incident on September 24, 2016, at a different airport, where he conducted a flyby of the tower to confirm gear extension; after landing, the indicator lights showed gear down and locked.
According to a mechanic at the pilot’s maintenance provider, when discussing the previous incident, the pilot said he flew to Nantucket Memorial Airport (ACK) and did not get three green landing gear indicators. He performed a tower flyby, they confirmed wheels down, and he landed without having the airplane checked. The mechanic asked if the navigation lights were on; the pilot said yes. The mechanic explained that with navigation lights on, the gear indicator lights would dim. Maintenance later jacked the airplane, cycled the gear, and checked indicators; all systems functioned correctly.
Regarding the accident flight, the pilot noted winds were 230° at 5 knots with no crosswind and that he landed on the runway centerline. He stated, “[u]nfortunately, the gear was not under the airplane” and that it was “[m]y fault.”