What happened
On 15 July 1999, a Beech 95-B55, registration G-UROP, was performing a private flight when an incident occurred during the landing phase at Sleap Aerodrome, Shropshire. Following a standard landing, the aircraft was in its landing roll when the pilot inadvertently operated the landing gear retraction mechanism. This error caused the gear to retract while the aircraft was still in contact with the runway.
The investigation
The investigation, prompted by an accident report submitted by the pilot, focused on the sequence of events during the rollout. The examination established that the landing itself had been completed normally. However, the subsequent retraction of the gear led to a heavy impact with the runway surface.
As a result of the gear retraction, the aircraft sustained damage to the landing gear, the nose cone, and the propellers. Additionally, the two Continental IO-470-L piston engines experienced shock loading due to the impact.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the accidental retraction of the landing gear by the pilot during the landing roll.
- There were no injuries to the pilot or the single passenger on board.