Beech 58 accident near Traverse City, Michigan, June 24, 2026
On June 24, 2026 at about 3:33 pm local time, a 1978 Beech 58, registered N96GB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Traverse City, Michigan (Cherry Capital 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
- June 24, 2026 · about 3:33 pm local time
- Place
- Traverse City, Michigan · Cherry Capital · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58, built 1978 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N96GB · registry record · serial TH-882
- 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 during the initial approach, he was given vectors from air traffic control (ATC) that took him about 15 miles away from the airport. As he was vectored back toward the airport, ATC notified him that he was fifth in sequence to land and was asked to decrease airspeed. About 5 miles from the airport, ATC turned multiple airplanes in front of him, and he continued to maintain visual contact with each airplane. The spacing was tight with airplane in front of him and he continued to watch it as it slowly exited the runway. While on short final, he forgot to complete the before landing checklist, which resulted in him not extending the landing gear. The airplane landed on its belly and came to rest upright on the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the bottom fuselage. The pilot reported 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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 10,000 in this make and model
- Last flight review: May 13, 2026
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,657.5 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 10, 2026; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,800 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental Motors IO-520-MBCCB (piston); 400 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental Motors IO-520-MBCCB (piston); 400 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KVPZ Valparaiso IN at 3:18 pm
- Destination: KTVC Traverse City MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 10/2, 7,016 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 9,500 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 11:00 am from KTVC
Weather report (METAR): METAR KTVC 241453Z 00000KT 10SM OVC095 18/12 A3005 RMK AO2 SLP176 T01780117 58009
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 CEN26LA240.