Beech 95-B55B (T42A) accident near Watkins, Colorado, March 27, 2001
On March 27, 2001 at about 10:40 pm local time, a Beech 95-B55B (T42A), registered N38KS, was destroyed in an accident near Watkins, Colorado (Front Range airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An inadvertent landing gear retracted landing by the CFI during an instructional flight conducting a touch-and-go landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 27, 2001 · about 10:40 pm local time
- Place
- Watkins, Colorado · Front Range · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-B55B (T42A) · all 95-B55B (T42A)s on the register
- Registration
- N38KS · no longer on the register · serial TF-11
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While conducting an instructional flight with two student pilots, the flight instructor failed to lower the landing gear prior to a touch-and-go landing. The aircraft landed with the landing gear retracted and caught fire. All three occupants exited without injury. Examination of the aircraft following the accident revealed that the right throttle landing gear warning lever had rotated 90 degrees and was hung up on the left mixture control lever, thus moving the right throttle also moved the left mixture. It could not be determined whether the warning horn rod position affected the landing gear warning system 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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,200 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 2,000 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 25, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,000 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: APA Englewood CO at 9:40 pm
- Destination: FTG Watkins CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 8,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 6 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,800 ft; a few clouds at 3,300 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from KDVX, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
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.