Beech E55 accident near Gardner, Kansas, November 25, 1997
On November 25, 1997 at about 7:09 pm local time, a Beech E55, registered N3914A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Gardner, Kansas (Gardner Municipal 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 inadvertant landing gear retraction, which occurred due to undetermined reason(s).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 25, 1997 · about 7:09 pm local time
- Place
- Gardner, Kansas · Gardner Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech E55 · all E55s on the register
- Registration
- N3914A · registry record · serial TE-789
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While practicing crosswind touch-and-go landings, the airplane touched down left of the centerline near the displaced threshold and bounced. The pilot added and removed power to let the airplane settle to the runway. The landing gear retracted during this period, and the left propeller struck the runway. The pilot added full power and rotated, at which time, the right propeller contacted the runway. With the engine running rough, the airplane touched down again, slid off the runway, and contacted a parked airplane. The pilot reported he did not touch the landing gear selector during the landing, nor did he hear a warning horn. Postaccident inspection of the landing gear system revealed that it, along with the gear warning system, functioned normally.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,013 hours in all; 71 in this make and model; 39 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 1,699 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,937 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 7, 1996; 71 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LWC Lawrence KS at 6:55 pm
- Destination: K34
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 2,960 ft by 36 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from IXD, 4 miles away
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.