What happened
On December 31, 1999, a Beech 99A, registration N491BB, was performing an on-demand air taxi flight from St. Croix, Virgin Islands, to St. Barthelemy, French Antilles. The flight, operated by Bohlke International Airways, arrived at the destination approximately 55 minutes after departure. Upon arrival, the crew performed a 360-degree turn to manage traffic before proceeding on an 8-mile final approach.
During the final stages of the approach, the crew configured the aircraft with full flaps and set the propellers to 2,000 rpm while maintaining an airspeed of 95 knots. The pilot noted that all three landing gear lights were illuminated prior to touchdown. As the aircraft touched down, it began to yaw toward the left. Despite attempts by the pilot to correct the deviation using right rudder and aileron, the yaw persisted. The pilot increased engine power in an attempt to maintain control, but the aircraft continued to veer left, exiting the runway and entering a ground loop.
During the excursion, the right main landing gear separated from the airframe. The aircraft eventually came to a rest on its fuselage with the nose gear still extended. There were no injuries reported among the pilot, co-pilot, or the seven passengers on board.
Findings
Post-accident inspections conducted on January 3, 2000, revealed that the left main landing gear was in a retracted position. A witness, a commuter pilot, reported observing the left main landing gear moving forward and backward during the landing sequence. The collapse of the main landing gear was the primary factor in the aircraft exiting the runway.