Beech B55B accident near Eielson Afb, Alaska, October 7, 1990
On October 7, 1990 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Beech B55B, registered N56AF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Eielson Afb, Alaska (Eielson airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE DUAL STUDENT'S INADVERTENT, PREMATURE SELECTION OF THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE TO THE UP POSITION; THEREBY CAUSING THE LANDING GEAR SYSTEM TO RETRACT. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE INSTRUCTOR'S FAILURE TO MONITOR THE DUAL STUDENT'S ACTION AND TAKE APPROPRIATE AND TIMELY CORRECTIVE ACTION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 7, 1990 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Eielson Afb, Alaska · Eielson · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Beech B55B · all B55Bs on the register
- Registration
- N56AF · no longer on the register · serial TF-3
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE DUAL STUDENT AND INSTRUCTOR PILOT WERE PRACTICING TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS. AFTER THE LANDING THE DUAL STUDENT APPLIED POWER AND THEN SELECTED THE LANDING GEAR LEVER TO THE 'UP' POSITION. THE INSTRUCTOR STATED HE QUICKLY PLACED THE LANDING GEAR LEVER IN THE DOWN POSITION BUT THE LANDING GEAR CONTINUED TO RETRACT UNTIL THE AIRPLANE SLID TO A STOP ON ITS BELLY.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,165 hours in all; 170 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,119 as pilot in command; 304 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,233 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 29, 1990; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 31, 14,514 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.