Beech 65-A90-1 accident near Petersburg, West Virginia, May 18, 2023
On May 18, 2023 at about 3:59 pm local time, a 1967 Beech 65-A90-1, registered N80Y, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Petersburg, West Virginia (Grant County Airport). It was an instructional 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 flight crew’s failure to ensure that the landing gear were properly configured before landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 18, 2023 · about 3:59 pm local time · cases in 2023
- Place
- Petersburg, West Virginia · Grant County Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 65-A90-1, built 1967 · all 65-A90-1s on the register
- Registration
- N80Y · registry record · serial LM-79
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and the flight instructor were performing flight training in the turbo-propeller-powered, multi-engine airplane. After completing two uneventful takeoffs and landings, the instructor and the pilot briefed that they would next perform a no-flap landing. While on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, the pilot called for the before landing checklist. The instructor began reading the checklist, the pilot pushed the propeller controls fully forward, and the flight instructor mentioned that the pilot needed to hold the airplane’s attitude in order to slow the airplane to the desired airspeed. The flight instructor further described, “I was coaching the [pilot] on centerline and speed and neither of us realized that we had not completed the landing checklist.” During the landing flare, the flight instructor heard a metallic scraping sound, and began to abort the landing, about which time the pilot noted that the landing gear was not extended. After two attempts to increase engine power and climb, the flight instructor realized that the airplane was not controllable and decided to land on the grass next to the runway with the landing gear retracted. The airplane’s right wing was substantially damaged during the landing. The operator reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation, nor did either of the flight crew report any, with the exception that neither crewmember recalled hearing the landing gear position warning system horn activate at any point. Maintenance personnel tested the system following the accident and noted no anomalies.
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
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated other cases naming the landing gear
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of checklist › Instructor/check pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,425 hours in all; 328 in this make and model; 168 in the last 90 days; 53 in the last 30 days; 6,640 as pilot in command; 866 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 31, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,104 hours in all; 720 in this make and model; 206 in the last 90 days; 86 in the last 30 days; 750 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 16, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 21,534.2 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 27, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 9,650 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-28 (turboprop); 12,631 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-28 (turboprop); 13,821 hours total
- Operator: Dynamic Aviation Group, INC.
The flight
- Runway 31, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.27 inHg
- Observation at 12:05 pm from KCBE, 40 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KCBE 181605Z AUTO 18006KT 10SM CLR 16/03 A3027 RMK AO2 T01610030
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – Right Rear View of Airplane’s Right Wing – Note Deformation
Photo 2 – Front View of Airplane’s Right Wing
Photo 3 – Side View of Airplane’s Right WingThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on August 10, 2023. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record - Flight Crew Statements | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Investigative Photographs | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Memorandum for Record - Correspondence with Operator | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N80Y on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Beechcraft 65 201 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Beechcraft 6 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-28 25 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-28 25 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Grant County · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in West Virginia 424 since 1982 · 54 in the last ten years
- West Virginia 884 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA23LA237.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.