Beech 55 accident near Sebring, Florida, September 13, 2019
On September 13, 2019 at about 11:30 pm local time, a 1974 Beech 55, registered N854T, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Sebring, Florida (Sebring Rgnl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The passenger’s inadvertent retraction of the landing gear during the landing roll without being instructed to do so by the pilot.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 13, 2019 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Sebring, Florida · Sebring Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 55 E55, built 1974
- Registration
- N854T · no longer on the register · serial TE-998
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, shortly after landing, the passenger, without his permission or guidance, retracted the landing gear. The airplane impacted the runway, slid about 600 ft, and then came to rest. The pilot-rated passenger reported that, without the pilot's guidance, he mistakenly raised the gear handle then quickly lowered it again, thinking it was the flap handle, and that he was attempting to assist the pilot. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the center wing spar.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during landing (landing roll)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Passenger
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear selector › Unintentional use/operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 645 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 470 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 19, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental IO-550 Series (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental IO-550 Series (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FPR Fort Pierce FL at 11:10 pm
- Destination: SEF Sebring FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 01, 5,234 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 060° at 13 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 10:35 pm from KSEF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on March 25, 2020. 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 | Passenger Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversation with A & P | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Accident Photo | 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.