Beech 95-C55 accident near Rifle, Colorado, April 28, 2004
On April 28, 2004 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Beech 95-C55, registered N282JL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rifle, Colorado (Garfield County Regional). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to verify the manual extension of the landing gear resulting in an inadvertent wheels up landing. Contributing factors include the electrical systems failure for undetermined reasons, the pilot's diverted attention and the pilot's improper in-flight planning and decision making.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 28, 2004 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Rifle, Colorado · Garfield County Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-C55 · all 95-C55s on the register
- Registration
- N282JL · registry record · serial TE-3555
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, while en route to his home base, he experienced an electrical system malfunction. Due to the wind gust conditions at his home base, he elected to divert to a second airport. While on approach to the second airport, the airplane's electrical system became more erratic, which included the illumination of all warning lights on the digital exhaust gas temperature (EGT) gauge and the indication of "extreme" engine temperatures of over 1,650 degrees. Shortly thereafter, the electrical system failed. He immediately attempted to lower the flaps and landing gear, but the flaps only partially lowered. The pilot hand cranked the landing gear half way down, but because of the severe turbulence, asked his passenger to assist him while he flew the airplane. When the passenger finished, the pilot verified that the landing gear crank had "quit turning." The pilot stated that, due to the "extreme danger" of a possible engine fire, he elected not to attempt a fly-by to verify that the landing gear was extended. When he attempted to land on runway 26, he felt both propellers strike the runway. When he "cut" the power to both engines, the airplane settled onto the runway, and slid approximately 1,000 feet before coming to a stop on the grass just off the right side of the runway. The pilot realized that the passenger had inadvertently raised the landing gear, resulting in an unintentional gear-retracted landing. Later, it was determined that several fractured propeller pieces had impacted the fuselage resulting in substantial damage to several fuselage bulkheads. An examination of the airplane's electrical system, which included a 2-hour ferry flight, showed no anomalies.
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: 1,572 hours in all; 784 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 1,572 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 3, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,948.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2004; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,900 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental IO-550 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental IO-550 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TEX Telluride CO at 8:15 pm
- Destination: GWS Glenwood Spring CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 7,000 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 14 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.54 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from KRIL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DEN04LA075.