Beech 100 accident near San Carlos, California, March 27, 1997
On March 27, 1997 at about 5:48 pm local time, a Beech 100, registered N60TJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Carlos, California (San Carlos 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's improper flare, which resulted in a hard landing; his improper adjustment of the landing gear warning horn squat switch(es); and his decision to attempt flight with known equipment deficiencies.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made September 29, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 27, 1997 · about 5:48 pm local time
- Place
- San Carlos, California · San Carlos · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 100 · all 100s on the register
- Registration
- N60TJ · registry record · serial BE-21
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the aircraft operator, during a landing, the aircraft dropped approximately 10 feet onto the runway. The aircraft touched down with enough force as to warrant concern by the operator and the pilot. The pilot stated that the gear warning horn was activated after the landing. He examined the landing gear and bent the squat switches to silence the horn, then conducted a test flight. Before landing, three green gear down lights were observed; however, the left landing gear collapsed during the rollout. Before coming to rest, the aircraft struck a sign and three runway lights. The aircraft landing gear was inspected by the FAA and a technical representative (tech rep) from Raytheon Aircraft Company. The tech rep reported that the downlock plates were bent from the hard landing. Review of the logbooks revealed that the aircraft did not have a primary 150-hour inspection, since August 1993, and was in an unairworthy condition. Due to the extent of damage to the landing gear, no preexisting anomalies in those components could be identified.
The NTSB's narratives can run to many pages; this is the opening. Read the full report at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database and is rewritten in plain English only where the NTSB used codes; the probable cause and narrative are the NTSB's own words. This site 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 LAX97LA132.