Beech 200 accident near Clearwater, Florida, January 4, 2016
On January 4, 2016 at about 2:45 pm local time, a 1979 Beech 200, registered N275X, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Clearwater, Florida (St Pete-Clearwater Intl airport). 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's failure to properly configure the airplane's landing gear prior to landing, 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
- January 4, 2016 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Clearwater, Florida · St Pete-Clearwater Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 200 UNDESIGNAT, built 1979 · all 200s on the register
- Registration
- N275X · no longer on the register · serial BB-502
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the multiengine turbine-powered airplane departed on a positioning flight to a nearby airport to have the flaps examined. The pilot performed the landing checklist, which included extending the landing gear when the airplane was about 7 miles from the destination airport. Upon contacting the control tower, he was informed that the airplane was number two to land and was provided a vector for sequencing. After about 4 minutes, the pilot was instructed to turn toward the airport and cleared to land. The pilot stated that during his preparation for a no flap landing, he forgot that he had retracted and not subsequently lowered the landing gear. During the landing flare, the control tower stated "gear" and he attempted to abort the landing; however, the airplane contacted the runway and slid to a stop, about 2,500 feet beyond the beginning of the runway. A fuel bladder leak resulted in a fire in the area of the left engine nacelle and substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot stated that he did not hear a landing gear warning horn prior to the accident. According to the airplane flight manual, the landing gear warning would activate intermittently with the gear not down below a certain power setting. Postaccident damage precluded a functional check of the landing gear warning system; however, the pilot stated that he utilized additional power during the no flap landing and that he did not recall the specific power setting used. He further reported about 12,600 hours of total flight experience, which included about 955 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane.
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 (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Configuration › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,594 hours in all; 954 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 11,920 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 22, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 907 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 26, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-41 (turboprop); 3,713 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-41 (turboprop); 3,963 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Skyway Aircraft INC
The flight
- Departed from: SPG St Petersburg FL
- Destination: PIE Clearwater FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36R, 9,730 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from PIE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on March 7, 2016. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Inspector and Pilot Statements | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Airplane Flight Manual/pilot Operating Handbook (Excerpt) | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Photos (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.