Beech 35-B33 accident near Effingham, Illinois, October 11, 2014
On October 11, 2014 at about 10:44 pm local time, a 1963 Beech 35-B33, registered N718CD, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Effingham, Illinois (Effingham County Memorial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to lower the landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 11, 2014 · about 10:44 pm local time
- Place
- Effingham, Illinois · Effingham County Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 35-B33, built 1963 · all 35-B33s on the register
- Registration
- N718CD · registry record · serial CD-718
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that 30 minutes after departure at 6,000 feet mean sea level, the airplane's door opened in flight. He stated that the temperature dropped, papers went flying about the cabin, and the noise was 'overwhelming.' The passenger tried to hold the door shut, but could not secured it. The pilot diverted to a nearby airport for landing. The pilot stated that he "simply forgot to put the gear down." The airplane touched down and skidded on its belly resulting in substantial damage to the airplane's stringers, formers, and main spar carry through. The pilot reported that there was no malfunction or system failure of the airplane before 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
- Miscellaneous/other during enroute (cruise)
- Landing gear not configured during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Doors › (general) › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 805 hours in all; 250 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,630 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 6, 2014; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,003 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cont Motor I0-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EVV Evansville IN
- Destination: SPI Springfield IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 01, 3,400 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 10:52 pm from SPI, 62 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN15CA011.