Beech A55 accident near Arlington, Washington, April 20, 1989
On April 20, 1989 at about 1:10 am local time, a Beech A55, registered N6866Q, was destroyed in an accident near Arlington, Washington (Arlington airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
A PREMATURE/IMPROPER RETRACTION OF THE LANDING GEAR BY THE SECOND PILOT (AIRCRAFT OWNER), WHO WAS OCCUPYING THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 20, 1989 · about 1:10 am local time
- Place
- Arlington, Washington · Arlington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech A55
- Registration
- N6866Q · no longer on the register · serial TC330
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE OWNER (AN EXPERIENCE PLT) ACCOMPANIED THE PLT-IN-COMMAND (PIC) TO ASSIST IN A MAINTENANCE TEST FLT. THE PIC RPRTD THAT WHILE HE WAS MAKING A TOUCH-&-GO LANDING, THE OWNER RAISED THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE, WHILE THE ACFT WAS STILL ON THE GROUND. THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED & THE ACFT SETTLED TO THE GROUND & SLID TO A STOP. A FIRE ERUPTED & SUBSEQUENTLY DESTROYED THE ACFT.
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, flight instructor, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,500 hours in all; 100 in this make and model; 84 in the last 90 days; 56 in the last 30 days; 8,800 as pilot in command; 4,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,860 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 30, 1988; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,880 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-470-L (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: PAE Everett WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 16, 5,333 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.