Lanshe Aerospace LAKE 250 accident near Fernandina Beach, Florida, March 18, 2015
On March 18, 2015 at about 11:00 pm local time, a 2004 Lanshe Aerospace LAKE 250, registered N99HB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Fernandina Beach, Florida (Fernandina Beach Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to extend the landing gear during the approach, which resulted in a gear-up landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 18, 2015 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Fernandina Beach, Florida · Fernandina Beach Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lanshe Aerospace LAKE 250, built 2004
- Registration
- N99HB · no longer on the register · serial 236
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Several witnesses reported that, during a second landing attempt, the airplane touched down more than halfway down the 5,152-ft-long runway and then bounced several times before coming to rest near the end of the runway. The pilot reported to a first responder that the airplane encountered windshear during the approach, and the recorded weather at an airport located about 14 miles south of the accident site about the time of the accident included wind at 11 knots gusting to 19 knots. The first responder observed that the landing gear was in the retracted position. Examination of the airplane revealed that the landing gear handle was in the "up" position and that the landing gear was retracted. During recovery, the landing gear was extended normally, and no anomalies were observed with the landing gear system. The pilot had not flown for about 5 months before the accident; however, she had flown about 6 hours during the day of the accident and had conducted one prior uneventful landing during a fuel stop.
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
- Windshear or thunderstorm during approach
- Landing area overshoot during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Landing gear not configured during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear selector › Not used/operated
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Not specified
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 710 hours in all; 110 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: August 27, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 725 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 20, 2014; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,050 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TIO-540 SER (piston); 725 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GGE Georgetown SC at 9:00 pm
- Destination: FHB Fernandina Beach FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 13, 5,152 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 11 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 10:52 pm from NRB, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.