Beech 36 accident near Riverton, Wyoming, September 24, 2011
On September 24, 2011 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Beech 36, registered N7549N, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Riverton, Wyoming (Riverton Regional 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).
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
- September 24, 2011 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Riverton, Wyoming · Riverton Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 36 NO SERIES · all 36s on the register
- Registration
- N7549N · registry record · serial E-66
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that after landing he inadvertently moved the main landing gear lever rather than the flap lever to the retract position, which resulted in the collapse of all three landing gear and substantial damage to the undercarriage of the airplane. The pilot reported no anomalies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
What happened, in order
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear selector › Unintentional use/operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 219 hours in all; 130 in this make and model
- Last flight review: October 31, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,689 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 8, 2011; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,600 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-520 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RIW Riverton WY at 3:15 pm
- Destination: RIW Riverton WY
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 28, 8,203 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.31 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from RiW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.