Beech 95-B55 accident near Tucson, Arizona, August 2, 2005
On August 2, 2005 at about 3:02 am local time, a Beech 95-B55, registered N5888J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tucson, Arizona (Tucson International airport). It was a business 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 inadvertent retraction of the landing gear during the landing rollout.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 2005 · about 3:02 am local time
- Place
- Tucson, Arizona · Tucson International · 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
- N5888J · no longer on the register · serial TC-955
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot inadvertently retracted the landing gear during the landing rollout. The pilot reported that after takeoff he realized that he had forgotten documents for his business flight, so he returned to the airport and landed. No evidence of any mechanical malfunction was noted during the approach or initial portion of the landing rollout. As the airplane decelerated to about 60 knots and was rolling straight down the runway, the left main landing gear and the nose gear retracted. The airplane swerved off the runway and collided with a taxiway light. An examination of the landing gear system revealed no evidence of mechanical 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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,322 hours in all; 602 in this make and model; 79 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 11,252 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,456 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2005; 56 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 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
The flight
- Departed from: TUS Tucson AZ at 2:45 am
- Destination: CXL Calexico CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 am from TUS
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.
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.