Beech B55B accident near Manhattan, Kansas, April 22, 1996
On April 22, 1996, a Beech B55B, registered N8496N, was substantially damaged in an accident near Manhattan, Kansas (Manhattan Municipal airport). It was a business 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 properly extend the landing gear. A factor was his failure to follow checklist procedures.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 22, 1996
- Place
- Manhattan, Kansas · Manhattan Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech B55B · all B55Bs on the register
- Registration
- N8496N · registry record · serial TC1115
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he slowed the airplane and performed a 'GUMPS' check on base. He wrote that he 'thought the wheels were down at this point.' He said he performed another 'GUMPS' check on final. He 'flared normally and went to idle...touched down, and after 2 seconds the nose dropped, and [the airplane] began to slide.' He reported that he heard the landing gear warning horn during the flare, but thought it was the stall warning horn. He reported that when he returned to the airplane five minutes after the accident, he observed the landing gear control handle in an intermediate position between the center and bottom detent. The landing gear system functioned normally during an operational check.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 415 hours in all; 13 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 302 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,916 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 21, 1996; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ARR Aurora IL at 9:25 pm
- Destination: MHK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 21, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.