Beech 58 accident near St Croix, March 16, 1999
On March 16, 1999 at about 8:00 am local time, a Beech 58, registered N6CH, was substantially damaged in an accident near St Croix (Henry E. Rohlsen 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 failure to extend the landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 16, 1999 · about 8:00 am local time
- Place
- St Croix · Henry E. Rohlsen
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 58 · all 58s on the register
- Registration
- N6CH · registry record · serial TH-131
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight landed short of runway 09 in a flat attitude, and the airplane continued in an easterly direction, striking the lights at the arrival end of the runway before coming to rest. There was no radio communications from the airplane before the accident that indicated the pilot was experiencing any problems with the airplane. The pilot said, '...after turning final approach...I completed the before landing check and selected gear down position with a green light. Over the runway, I closed the throttles for touchdown when there was a thump and the aircraft dipped to the left, then skidded on it's belly to a stop on the left side off the runway in grass.' Examination of the landing gear revealed no discrepancies. The FAA inspector wrote in his memorandum to the NTSB, '...it is my firm belief that the pilot did not lower the landing gear at the time of the landing. There was no damage to the main landing gear doors or scratch marks at the doors which indicated the pilot never did lower the gear. All damage was in the structure (airframe)....'
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,859 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 12,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,215 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 16, 1999; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520-CB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: STT Saint Thomas at 7:40 am
- Destination: STX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 7,612 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 030° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 am from STT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N6CH the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. 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 MIA99LA106.