Beech 95 B55 accident near Suffolk, Virginia, April 17, 2018
On April 17, 2018 at about 1:30 am local time, a 1975 Beech 95 B55, registered N4464S, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Suffolk, Virginia (Suffolk Executive airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to properly secure the portable GPS and antenna cable, which resulted in the inadvertent landing gear retraction during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 17, 2018 · about 1:30 am local time
- Place
- Suffolk, Virginia · Suffolk Executive · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95 B55 T42A, built 1975 · all 95 B55s on the register
- Registration
- N4464S · no longer on the register · serial TC-1878
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot in the retractable-landing gear-equipped airplane reported that, during the flight, his GPS had fallen from its mount and that the antenna cable became wrapped around the landing gear switch. Before landing, the pilot applied aft pressure to the yoke to enter the flare, and the antenna cable moved the landing gear switch to the retract position. The airplane landed with the landing gear retracted and skidded to a stop on the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage longerons and stringers and the wing-spar carry-through. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures 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
- Miscellaneous/other during enroute
- Landing gear not configured during landing (landing roll)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear selector › Unintentional use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Equipment/furnishings › (general) › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 26,200 hours in all; 530 in this make and model; 58 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 25,550 as pilot in command; 2,875 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 6, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,042.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 12, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental IO-470 L (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental IO-470 L (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Moosehead Aviation INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ISM Orlando FL at 6:00 pm
- Destination: SFQ Suffolk VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25, 3,750 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 8 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.65 inHg
- Observation at 10:15 pm from KSFQ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on September 17, 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Video of Inadvertent Landing Gear Switch Retraction | MOV file | Download |
| 3 | 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.