Beech S35 accident near Lowell, Michigan, August 9, 2025
On August 9, 2025 at about 1:35 pm local time, a 1964 Beech S35, registered N861T, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Lowell, Michigan (Lowell City 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to extend the landing gear before landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 2025 · about 1:35 pm local time
- Place
- Lowell, Michigan · Lowell City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech S35, built 1964 · all S35s on the register
- Registration
- N861T · registry record · serial D-7507
- 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 while flying in the traffic pattern at the destination airport, he diverted his attention outside of the airplane and forgot to extend the landing gear. He did not recall hearing the landing gear warning horn during the landing. The airplane landed with the landing gear retracted and came to rest upright on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the bottom of the fuselage near the nose gear wheel well. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,687.3 hours in all; 699.9 in this make and model
- Last flight review: May 10, 2024
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 11, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental Motors IO-550 (piston); 932 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 8D4 Sparta MI at 1:25 pm
- Destination: 24C Lowell MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 12/3, 2,394 ft by 48 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 am from KGRR, 9 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KGRR 091353Z 16009KT 10SM FEW250 27/21 A3007 RMK AO2 SLP176 T02670211
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 CEN25LA319.