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Accidents · NTSB CEN11LA254 · Final report

North American B25 accident near Encinal, Texas, March 26, 2011

On March 26, 2011 at about 6:00 pm local time, a North American B25, registered N747AF, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Encinal, Texas (El Jardin Ranch Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The co-pilot’s premature retraction of the landing gear during takeoff, which resulted in a gear collapse and impact with the runway surface.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
March 26, 2011 · about 6:00 pm local time · cases in 2011
Place
Encinal, Texas · El Jardin Ranch Airport · cases near this airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
North American B25 J · all B25s on the register
Registration
N747AF · registry record · serial 44-30456
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

During the takeoff roll, at an airspeed of about 60 knots, the pilot rotated the nose of the airplane to the standard angle for takeoff. The co-pilot stated that during the takeoff roll, he thought that the pilot had called for the landing gear to be retracted, so he reached down and moved the landing gear handle. Shortly thereafter the landing gear began to collapse and both propellers and the fuselage impacted the runway surface. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane prior to the accident and the co-pilot said that he prematurely raised the gear handle.

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

  1. Miscellaneous/other during takeoff
  2. Landing gear collapse during takeoff defining event
  3. Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)
  4. Evacuation during post (impact)

The NTSB's findings

  • cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › (general) › Incorrect use/operation other cases naming the landing gear
  • cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Copilot
  • Personnel issues › Task performance › Communication (personnel) › (general) › Copilot

Pilot

  • Certificate: airline transport pilot
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 5,700 hours in all; 400 in this make and model
  • Last flight review: March 24, 2011
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: no injuries

Co-pilot

  • Certificate: commercial pilot
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
  • Flight time: 5,596 hours in all; 24 in this make and model
  • Last flight review: August 30, 2010
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: rgt
  • Injury: no injuries

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 7,460 hours
  • Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 7, 2011
  • Maximum gross weight: 34,000 lb
  • Seats: 10
  • Landing gear: retractable
  • Engine 1: Wright R-2600-35 (piston); 0 hours total
  • Engine 2: Wright R-2600-35 (piston); 0 hours total
  • Fire on the ground
  • Operator: Lewis Fighter Fleet LLC

The flight

  • Departed from: XA66 Encinal TX at 6:00 pm
  • Destination: XA66 Encinal TX
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 12, 6,270 ft by 80 ft
  • A second pilot was aboard

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 330° at 4 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: clear
  • Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.70 inHg
  • Observation at 5:53 pm from KCOT, 23 miles away

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew3
Passengers6

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

4 documents, released by the NTSB on December 17, 2012. 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.

#DocumentWhat it is
1 Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 PDF, 11 pages View Download
2 Witness Statement PDF, 1 page View Download
3 Weather Summary PDF, 1 page View Download
4 Map - Airport Diagram PDF, 1 page 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

Aircraft
Place
Analytics

The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN11LA254.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.