Beech 95 B55 accident near Albany, New York, November 22, 2015
On November 22, 2015 at about 6:17 pm local time, a 1974 Beech 95 B55, registered N600VP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Albany, New York (Albany 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 maintain a proper flare while landing in gusting crosswind conditions, which resulted in a hard landing, overstress fracture of the nose landing gear trunnion, and a subsequent nose landing gear collapse.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 22, 2015 · about 6:17 pm local time
- Place
- Albany, New York · Albany Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95 B55 UNDESIGNAT, built 1974 · all 95 B55s on the register
- Registration
- N600VP · no longer on the register · serial TC-1805
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot stated that, while on approach for landing, he lowered the landing gear and confirmed that all three landing gear indicator lights were illuminated. He noted that there was a "slight" crosswind, and, upon touchdown, he felt an "unusual" nose wheel shimmy before the nose landing gear trunnion fractured and the nose landing gear collapsed. Examination of the fracture surfaces revealed failure due to overstress with no preexisting conditions contributing to the failure. The airport's automated weather observation recorded a 40° crosswind at 16 knots with gusts to 25 knots about the time of the accident. It is likely that, while landing in gusting wind conditions, the pilot allowed the airplane's nose landing gear to contact the runway hard, which resulted in the overstress fracture of the trunnion and the resulting gear collapse.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Response/compensation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Capability exceeded
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 800 hours in all; 157 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,012 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 23, 2014; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,404 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
The flight
- Departed from: ISP Islip NY at 5:00 pm
- Destination: ALB Albany NY
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 28, 7,200 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 16 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; a few clouds at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 6:26 pm from KALB
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on May 16, 2017. 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 - Memorandum for Record | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot Interview Summary (FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Maintenance Records | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Materials Laboratory | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Photos (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Evidence Control Form | 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.