Beech H35 accident near Bay City, Michigan, August 2, 2008
On August 2, 2008 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Beech H35, registered N5430D, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Bay City, Michigan (James Clements Muni 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 checklist not followed and the inadvertent wheels up landing by the pilot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 2008 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Bay City, Michigan · James Clements Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech H35 · all H35s on the register
- Registration
- N5430D · registry record · serial D-4945
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane landed with the landing gear retracted on runway 5 (2,599 feet by 75 feet) following a visual approach to the airport. The airplane sustained substantial damage during the touch down with the runway. The pilot was uninjured. During the recovery of the airplane, the cockpit landing gear control handle was in the down position and no landing gear circuit breakers were tripped. When the master switch was turned on, the landing gear extended and the landing gear position indicator(s) indicated that the landing gear was extended and locked down.
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
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 1,700 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470N (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Bay City MI
- Destination: Bay City MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 5
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.
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.