Beech 65-90 incident near Springdale, Arkansas, July 26, 1989
On July 26, 1989 at about 6:30 am local time, a Beech 65-90, registered N195DP, suffered minor damage in an incident near Springdale, Arkansas (Springdale airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were 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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 1989 · about 6:30 am local time
- Place
- Springdale, Arkansas · Springdale · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 65-90 · all 65-90s on the register
- Registration
- N195DP · registry record · serial LJ-89
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INCIDENT AIRCRAFT LANDED WITH THE GEAR IN THE RETRACTED POSITION. THE AIRCRAFT WAS RAISED DURING THE RECOVERY PROCESS AND THE GEAR SELECTOR WAS PLACED IN THE EXTEND POSITION. THE GEAR EXTENDED NORMALLY. THIS PROCESS WAS REPEATED SEVERAL TIMES WITH THE SAME RESULTS. UPON ARRIVAL AT THE SCENE, THE GEAR UNSAFE LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED. WITNESSES ABOARD THE AIRCRAFT STATED THAT THEY OBSERVED THE AMBER (GEAR UP) LIGHTS JUST PRIOR TO IMPACTING THE RUNWAY. THE LANDING GEAR WARNING HORN WAS TESTED AND FOUND TO BE INOPERATIVE. THE WARNING HORN WAS NOT THE WARNING HORN SPECIFIED IN THE BEECH PARTS MANUAL.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,100 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 9,300 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-6 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: STL St Louis MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 5,302 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:48 am from FYV, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.