Beech M35 accident near Pittsfield, Massachusetts, October 28, 2005
On October 28, 2005 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Beech M35, registered N120V, was substantially damaged in an accident near Pittsfield, Massachusetts (Pittsfield Municipal Airport). It was a personal 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 retraction of the landing gear during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 28, 2005 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- Pittsfield, Massachusetts · Pittsfield Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech M35 · all M35s on the register
- Registration
- N120V · registry record · serial D-6419
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the landing roll, the nose of the airplane "dropped," the propeller struck the runway, and the airplane skidded to a stop. A subsequent inspection of the airplane revealed that all three landing gear had retracted, resulting in substantial damage. The pilot stated that he inadvertently retracted the landing gear, instead of the flaps, during the landing roll.
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: 1,538 hours in all; 920 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BQR Lancaster NY
- Destination: PSF Pittsfield MA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 08
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.