Beech A200 accident near Seattle, Washington, April 8, 2000
On April 8, 2000 at about 8:50 pm local time, a Beech A200, registered N258AG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Seattle, Washington (King CO Intl-Boeing Field). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 6 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 properly follow pre-takeoff checklists (resulting in the engine starters remaining engaged after engine start, generators not being activated, discharge of the aircraft battery and consequent total electrical failure during flight with associated disabling of normal landing gear extension capability), and his subsequent failure to properly perform a manual landing gear extension resulting in a landing with the gear not down-and-locked. Factors included: the pilot's lack of experience in type, steps not listed in the manufacturer's Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) GENERATOR INOPERATIVE procedure, conditions not listed in the manufacturer's AFM MANUAL LANDING GEAR EXTENSION procedure; and the FAA's inadequate approval of both of these procedures.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 8, 2000 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- Seattle, Washington · King CO Intl-Boeing Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A200 · all A200s on the register
- Registration
- N258AG · no longer on the register · serial BC-44
- 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 reported that very shortly after takeoff, both DC generator lights illuminated. He stated he tried to reset the generators but was unsuccessful. The aircraft experienced a total electrical failure shortly thereafter. The pilot returned to the departure airport, manually lowering the gear (by pumping a handle that drives a mechanical extension mechanism) since normal electrical gear extension was not available. The pilot stated he pumped the manual extension handle until he felt a drop in resistance, at which point he assumed the gear was down-and-locked. The airplane's left main landing gear collapsed during landing. The pilot, who had 26 total hours in make and model of which 11 was as pilot-in-command, could not remember placing the engine ignition/start switches from ON to OFF after starting the engines as specified by the checklist. Each of the airplane's engines is equipped with a DC electric starter/generator; with the engine ignition/start switches in the ON position, these devices function as starter motors driven by ground power or the aircraft battery. In post-accident examinations, the battery was found discharged but once it was recharged and reinstalled in the aircraft, investigators were able to start one of the aircraft's engines on battery power and bring a generator on line with no electrical power distribution anomalies noted. The GENERATOR INOPERATIVE emergency procedure in the aircraft's FAA-approved Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) does not contain a step for checking the engine ignition/start switches in the OFF position prior to attempting generator reset, and the AFM LANDING GEAR MANUAL EXTENSION procedure does not contain information on how long to pump the manual extension handle for a down-and-locked condition in the event the green GEAR DOWN lights do not illuminate (as in an electrical failure condition.)
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,740 hours in all; 26 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 9,510 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 7, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-41 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BFI at 8:30 pm
- Destination: PUW Pullman WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 31L, 9,201 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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.