Beech 95-B55 accident near Greenville, North Carolina, July 1, 2024
On July 1, 2024 at about 8:31 pm local time, a 1971 Beech 95-B55, registered N9308Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Greenville, North Carolina (Pitt-Greenville 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A landing with the nose gear retracted as a result of an intermittent landing gear relay.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 1, 2024 · about 8:31 pm local time
- Place
- Greenville, North Carolina · Pitt-Greenville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-B55 T42A, built 1971 · all 95-B55s on the register
- Registration
- N9308Q · registry record · serial TC-1411
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot report that after a normal takeoff and landing gear retraction, he began to level the airplane at 4,500 ft above ground level when the left engine began to run rough. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger then reduced power on the left engine until the roughness abated and agreed that they should return to the departure airport. While on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, the pilot placed the landing gear handle in the down position, but the landing gear down indication light did not illuminate. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger attempted to troubleshoot the issue before the pilot ultimately decided to attempt a manual extension of the landing gear. The pilot rated passenger then continued manual extension and was able to turn the crank approximately 50 times before it would no longer turn, and he believed it was “against the stops.” The pilot still did not observe an indication that the landing gear were extended, but decided that they needed to land as a result of the difficulty in maintaining altitude and airspeed. After touchdown on the main landing gear the nose of the airplane settled onto the runway and the airplane skidded to a stop. A bulkhead in airplane’s fuselage structure was substantially damaged during the landing. Following the accident, maintenance personnel examined the airplane and reported that their initial attempts to extend the landing gear normally were unsuccessful. After they “tapped the [landing gear] relay with a hammer” the landing gear extended and retracted normally during several test attempts. The landing gear were also successfully extended manually after the manual extension crank was turned about 10 additional times beyond where it was found following the accident. Additionally, examination of the left engine identified two oil-fouled spark plugs as likely contributors to the engine roughness reported during the accident flight.
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 collapse during landing
- Landing gear not configured during landing
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during approach defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Malfunction
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,426 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 22 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 4,264 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 28, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,882.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 22, 2024; 1.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,100 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental Aerospace Technolo IO-520-E (piston); 1,055 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental Aerospace Technolo IO-520-E (piston); 1,055 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 02, 7,175 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 4:25 pm from PGV
Weather report (METAR): METAR KPGV 012025Z AUTO 02008KT 10SM SCT042 27/15 A3005 RMK AO2=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on October 22, 2024. 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 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Passenger Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Maintenance Records | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Post-accident Mechanic Interview | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Investigative Photographs | 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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 ERA24LA307.