Beech 95-B55 (T42A) accident near Wharton, Texas, April 21, 2022
On April 21, 2022 at about 10:40 pm local time, a 1971 Beech 95-B55 (T42A), registered N66NP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Wharton, Texas (Wharton airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to extend the landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 21, 2022 · about 10:40 pm local time
- Place
- Wharton, Texas · Wharton · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-B55 (T42A), built 1971 · all 95-B55 (T42A)s on the register
- Registration
- N66NP · registry record · serial TC-1407
- 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 he had performed three takeoffs and landings without incident. During the fourth landing, he “flared the airplane at stall speed”. He “heard a noise under the fuselage even though the landing gear lever was engaged in the down position.” The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage structure during the landing. During a postaccident examination the landing gear extended and retracted normally. The landing gear position lights and the landing gear unsafe warning horn both functioned as designed. There were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures 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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › (general) › Not used/operated
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,250 hours in all; 703 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days; 1,179 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 13, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,568 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 21, 2021
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental IO-470-L (piston); 3,830 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental IO-470-L (piston); 7,578 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ARM Wharton TX at 10:00 pm
- Destination: ARM Wharton TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 6,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 12 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,400 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 5:15 pm from KARM, 8 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KARM 212215Z AUTO 14012G19KT 10SM SCT034 28/18 A3009 RMK AO2 T02810184
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on May 11, 2022. 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 |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Maintenance Records | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.