Beech 95-B55 (T42A) accident near Sevierville, Tennessee, March 31, 2010
On March 31, 2010 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Beech 95-B55 (T42A), registered N43BS, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Sevierville, Tennessee (Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge airport). It was a personal 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
The pilot's inadvertent retraction of the landing gear on the ground during 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 31, 2010 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sevierville, Tennessee · Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-B55 (T42A) · all 95-B55 (T42A)s on the register
- Registration
- N43BS · no longer on the register · serial TC-1358
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that the intent of the flight was to conduct touch-and-go landings in the twin-engine, retractable-gear airplane. He stated that he made a "textbook" first landing, and that during the landing rollout he attempted to raise the wing flaps for takeoff. The pilot "mistook the gear lever for the flaps" and the landing gear began to retract. He added power to "overcome the sinking," but the right propeller struck the ground and the airplane "spun to the right." The airplane came to rest upright in a grassy area between the runway and taxiway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. The pilot reported 50 hours of flight time in the accident airplane and flew it "every couple of weeks." The pilot's most recent experience in the accident airplane make and model was 30 days prior to the accident. The airplane's landing gear and flap control levers were the same color and approximately the same size, but were located on opposite sides of the control column.
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
What happened, in order
- Landing gear not configured during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Unintentional use/operation
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,366 hours in all; 50 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 162 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 12, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,019 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 13, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cont Motor IO-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cont Motor IO-470 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: 43Bs LLC
The flight
- Departed from: GKT Sevierville TN at 7:00 pm
- Destination: GKT Sevierville TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 5,506 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from TYS, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.