Beech H-18 accident near Dayton, Ohio, July 24, 2009
On July 24, 2009 at about 11:12 pm local time, a Beech H-18, registered N87711, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Dayton, Ohio (Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to lock the tailwheel during landing resulting in the loss of directional control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 2009 · about 11:12 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Dayton, Ohio · Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech H-18 · all H-18s on the register
- Registration
- N87711 · registry record · serial BA-650
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane veered to the left and off the runway after the tailwheel touched down during landing. The pilot stated the tailwheel lock pin did not remain in the locked position. The right main landing gear collapsed and the right wing skin became wrinkled when it contacted the ground resulting in substantial damage. The pilot and three passengers were uninjured. Inspection of the tailwheel by the Federal Aviation Administration revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Landing gear not configured during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Incorrect use/operation other cases naming the landing gear
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: balloon; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,022 hours in all; 279 in this make and model; 32 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 1,809 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 1, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,780 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 10, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 9,900 lb
- Seats: 8300
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney 985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Harrisonburg VA at 9:00 pm
- Destination: MGY Dayton OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 02, 5,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on September 10, 2009. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N87711 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Beechcraft H-18 29 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Beechcraft 6 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney 985 1 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Dayton/Wright Brothers Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Ohio 1,884 since 1982 · 253 in the last ten years
- Ohio 8,529 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN09CA474.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.