Beech 95-B55 accident near Porterville, California, September 15, 2005
On September 15, 2005 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Beech 95-B55, registered N127F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Porterville, California (Porterville 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 extend the landing gear prior to landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 15, 2005 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Porterville, California · Porterville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 95-B55 · all 95-B55s on the register
- Registration
- N127F · registry record · serial TC-869
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot failed to extend the landing gear prior to landing and ribs were damaged in the belly section of the airplane. He initially entered the landing pattern for runway 12, which was the active runway in use. After the pilot was established in the pattern, the wind changed and an airplane departed runway 30. The pilot decided to change his landing pattern and crossed midfield where he entered the downwind leg of the traffic pattern for runway 30. Upon entering the downwind leg of the traffic pattern for runway 30, the pilot retracted the landing gear to decrease the required engine performance for the airplane. The pilot turned base and then final while extending the flaps and failed to lower the landing gear prior to landing on the runway. No mechanical anomalies were reported.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 815 hours in all; 337 in this make and model; 63 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BPI Big Piney WY
- Destination: PTV Porterville CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 30, 5,908 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from PTV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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 LAX05CA304.