Beech 400 accident near Montgomery, Alabama, July 22, 2020
On July 22, 2020 at about 4:00 pm local time, a 1987 Beech 400, registered N425BJ, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Montgomery, Alabama (Montgomery Rgnl (Dannelly Fiel airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Landing with the left main landing gear retracted due to the failure of the landing gear control unit, which resulted in substantial damage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 2020 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Montgomery, Alabama · Montgomery Rgnl (Dannelly Fiel · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 400 Undesignat, built 1987 · all 400s on the register
- Registration
- N425BJ · registry record · serial RJ25
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot did not receive a positive indication that the left main landing gear was down and locked. After completing all applicable emergency checklists, he elected to shut down the left engine and land with the left main landing gear retracted. The left wing was substantially damaged during landing. During postaccident examination the landing gear control unit was replaced, and the landing gear functioned normally.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 26,974 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 1,004 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 25,774 as pilot in command; 3,240 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 21, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 921 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 840 as pilot in command; 505 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 10, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,860 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, December 1, 2019
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-5 (turbofan); 6,957 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-5 (turbofan); 6,959 hours total
- Operator: N425Bj LLC
The flight
- Departed from: HSV Huntsville AL at 3:00 pm
- Destination: MGM Montgomery AL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 10, 9,020 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from MGM, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA20LA259.