Beech 58 accident near Augusta, Georgia, May 24, 2017
On May 24, 2017 at about 5:00 am local time, a 1976 Beech 58, registered N9132S, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Augusta, Georgia (Augusta Rgnl At Bush Field). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to properly configure the airplane for landing. Contributing to the accident were the pilot’s fatigue and self-induced distractions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 2017 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Augusta, Georgia · Augusta Rgnl At Bush Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 UNDESIGNAT, built 1976 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N9132S · no longer on the register · serial TH-724
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot reported that the flight was concluding at the end of his 17-hour duty day. He stated that he did not confirm a safe landing gear indication before landing and that the airplane subsequently landed with the landing gear retracted, which resulted in substantial damage. The pilot also stated that fatigue and self-induced distractions contributed to the accident, and that there were no mechanical anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › (general) › Not used/operated
- factor Personnel issues › Physical › Alertness/Fatigue › Fatigue due to work schedule › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › (general) › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 6,000 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 11,000 as pilot in command; 1,200 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 1, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,247.6 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 9, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 5,503 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cont Motor IO 520-CB (piston); 3,947 hours total
- Engine 2: Cont Motor IO 520 SERIES (piston); 5,877 hours total
- Operator: Gerlach And Associates LLC
The flight
- Departed from: PWK Chicago/Prospect Heights/Wheeling IL at 1:10 am
- Destination: AGS Augusta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17, 8,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.69 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 am from KAGS, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on June 21, 2018. 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, 7 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo Array | PDF, 1 page | 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.