Beech A35 accident near Newcastle, Wyoming, June 7, 2002
On June 7, 2002 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Beech A35, registered N8735A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Newcastle, Wyoming (Mondell Field). 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 pilot-in-command's failure to lower the landing gear prior to landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 7, 2002 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Newcastle, Wyoming · Mondell Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A35 · all A35s on the register
- Registration
- N8735A · registry record · serial D-2157
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After practicing maneuvers outlined in the commercial pilot practical flight test guide, the pilot returned to the airport and performed different types of takeoffs and landings on runway 31. The pilot said the airport's AWOS (automated weather observation station) then reported a wind shift, and he made an approach to runway 13. He forgot to lower the landing gear and landed wheels up. According to a Raytheon Aircraft Company spokesman, the airplane is equipped with an audible landing gear warning system that activates whenever power is reduced below 12 inches of manifold pressure and the landing gear is still retracted. The pilot said he didn't know if his airplane was so equipped and, if it was, he did not hear the warning horn prior to touchdown.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 552 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days; 493 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 17, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,456 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 25, 2002; 41 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental E-225-8-20 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ECS Newcastle WY at 10:00 pm
- Destination: ECS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 5,300 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from RAP, 55 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.