Beech C-90 accident near Meridian, Mississippi, October 14, 1998
On October 14, 1998 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Beech C-90, registered N438SP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Meridian, Mississippi (Key Field). It was an executive or corporate 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent activation of the landing gear control handle during an attempted go-around, resulting in the retraction of the landing gear and subsequent on ground collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 14, 1998 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Meridian, Mississippi · Key Field
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech C-90 · all C-90s on the register
- Registration
- N438SP · registry record · serial LJ1108
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated he touched down on the main gear and went into reverse when the nose wheel touched down on the runway. The left wing started to dip down. He advanced the power levers and the propellers collided with the runway. Tower personnel informed the FAA the airplane was observed to land long and fast. The pilot informed the FAA inspector that the airplane bounced into the air and he applied power for a go-around, but it was to late. The FAA concluded the pilot inadvertently retracted the landing gear instead of the flaps. Examination of the landing gear by a repair facility revealed no evidence of a precrash mechanical failure or malfunction of the landing gear assembly.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,315 hours in all; 220 in this make and model; 79 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 1,250 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,010 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 8, 1998; 195 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,500 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-21 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BHM Birmingham AL at 9:30 pm
- Destination: MEI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 10,004 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from MEI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.