Beech 58 accident near Sugar Loaf Mountain, Michigan, July 10, 2012
On July 10, 2012 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Beech 58, registered N2023V, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Sugar Loaf Mountain, Michigan (Sugar Loaf Mountain airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot did not complete the before-landing checklist and, subsequently, failed to extend the landing gear prior to landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s distraction with his passengers’ conversation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 10, 2012 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Sugar Loaf Mountain, Michigan · Sugar Loaf Mountain · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N2023V · no longer on the register · serial TH-968
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot, on a personal cross-country flight, had flown into the destination airport many times before and was familiar with the procedures associated with landing there. While completing the before-landing checklist, the pilot became distracted by conversation from the passengers. The pilot said that he did not hear the gear warning horn and, before he realized that the gear was still up, the airplane impacted the runway, sustaining substantial damage to the fuselage during the wheels-up landing. Earlier in the flight, the pilot briefed his passengers about having a sterile cockpit environment during the landing phase of flight, but the conversation did not cease. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies associated with the accident.
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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Attention › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,896 hours in all; 2,701 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 6,896 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 7, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,289 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 16, 2011; 72 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GRR Grand Rapids MI at 6:00 pm
- Destination: Y04 Sugar Loaf Mountain MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 02, 3,519 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from kvtc, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.