Raytheon Aircraft Company B200 accident near Carlsbad, California, May 16, 2015
On May 16, 2015 at about 10:48 pm local time, a 1996 Raytheon Aircraft Company B200, registered N505SP, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Carlsbad, California (Mc Clellan-Palomar 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 inadvertently turning on the starter switches, which turned off the generators and resulted in a loss of electrical power and gear-up landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to follow the emergency procedures for a loss of electrical power or to manually 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
- May 16, 2015 · about 10:48 pm local time
- Place
- Carlsbad, California · Mc Clellan-Palomar · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Raytheon Aircraft Company B200 UNDESIGNAT, built 1996
- Registration
- N505SP · registry record · serial BB-1538
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot reported that, about 10 minutes after takeoff for a cross-country flight, the airplane experienced a loss of electrical power and that he lost contact with air traffic control (ATC). The pilot proceeded on a westerly course and then proceeded southbound. Partial electrical power was restored, and he tried to re-establish radio contact with ATC with no success. The pilot subsequently diverted to an airport for landing. After he received a green light signal from control tower personnel, the pilot extended the landing gear and flaps. When the airplane touched down, the pilot realized that the landing gear had not extended. During initial postaccident interviews, the pilot stated that, when he departed, the generators were on and that, after the loss of electrical power, he did not perform any emergency procedures or attempt to reset the generators because the checklist was in a cabinet that he could not reach. In a subsequent interview, the pilot stated that he may have accidently turned on the starter switches while on the ground at the departure airport, which would have turned off the generators and led to the loss of electrical power. After the accident, a mechanic entered the cockpit, and he reported that he found the landing gear handle in the "down" position and the flap handle in the "full-up" position. The battery switch was in the "off" position with the battery gang bar down, which turned off the battery, generator 1, and generator 2. After lifting the gang bar and turning on the battery switch, he saw nothing on the cockpit displays but heard the airplane power up. After about 30 minutes, he turned on the electrical power, and the cockpit displays illuminated, and he heard the landing gear trying to extend. During recovery, the airplane was lifted off the ground, and the landing gear were successfully extended to the down-and-locked position using the emergency gear extension hand pump. It is likely that the pilot inadvertently turned on the starter switches, which turned off the generators, at the departure airport, and that this led to the depletion of the battery and loss of electrical power to the airplane's systems. If the pilot had the emergency checklist available and followed the emergency procedures for a loss of electrical power, which required resetting the generators, or if he had attempted to manually extend the landing gear, he likely could have lowered the landing gear.
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
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Electrical system malf/failure during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Electrical power system › Starter › generator › Unintentional use/operation
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of policy/procedure › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,230 hours in all; 330 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 5,050 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 31, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,962.4 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 16, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-52 (turboprop); 435 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney PT6A-52 (turboprop); 435 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PSP Palm Springs CA
- Destination: CRQ Carlsbad CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24, 4,897 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 1,900 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from KCRQ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on October 20, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Record of Conversation - Mechanic | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Record of Conversation - Previti | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Revised Statement of Mechanic | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Aircraft Checklist | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N505SP the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.
