Beech 99 accident near Billings, Montana, January 19, 2017
On January 19, 2017 at about 6:48 pm local time, a 1970 Beech 99, registered N326CA, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Billings, Montana (Billings Logan Intl airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 fatigue failure of the left main landing gear (MLG) actuator piston rod, which prevented the hydraulic system from producing pressure to control the MLG’s position and led to the right MLG collapsing during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 19, 2017 · about 6:48 pm local time · cases in 2017
- Place
- Billings, Montana · Billings Logan Intl · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 99 A, built 1970 · all 99s on the register
- Registration
- N326CA · registry record · serial U-135
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The commercial pilot reported that, after departing for the cross-country, cargo flight, he retracted the landing gear and heard a "thud" sound. Subsequently, the main landing gear (MLG) "unsafe" light illuminated, and the left MLG light remained illuminated green, indicating that it was still extended despite the landing gear handle being in the retracted position. The pilot returned to the departure airport, and during touchdown, the right MLG collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage to the right aileron and right wing spar. During the postaccident examination of the landing gear, the left MLG actuator's piston rod was found fractured. Metallurgical examination of the piston rod revealed that the rod had failed in its threaded section due to fatigue cracking over about 60% of the cross-section. Contact wear was observed on the faying surface of the retaining nut and piston head and the shoulder of the piston rod. These signatures were consistent with the nut not being tight enough to mitigate sliding of the piston head relative to the piston rod and retaining nut. It could not be determined if the manufacturer required a specific torque to be applied to the nut during assembly. Based on the evidence, it is likely that inadequate torque on the nut reduced the preload on the threaded section of the piston rod and contributed to premature fatigue crack propagation in the rod and its eventual failure. The failure of the piston rod allowed hydraulic fluid to pass freely from the down-side to the up-side of the piston, which prevented the hydraulic system from producing pressure to control the MLG's position.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during initial climb defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear actuator › Failure other cases naming the landing gear
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Landing gear actuator › Fatigue/wear/corrosion other cases naming the landing gear
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,419 hours in all; 270 in this make and model; 196 in the last 90 days; 57 in the last 30 days; 1,308 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 17, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 46,422 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 14, 2016; 96 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt and Whitney PT6A-28 (turboprop); 19,528 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt and Whitney PT6A-27 (turboprop); 10,345 hours total
- Operator: Alpine Aviation Inc
The flight
- Departed from: GDV Glendive MT at 4:45 pm
- Destination: SDY Sidney MT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 28R, 10,518 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.48 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from BIL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on January 15, 2020. 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 | Textron Aviation Materials Report | PDF, 16 pages | View Download |
| 3 | NTSB Materials Laboratory Comments on Textron Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Manual Excerpts and Pictures | PDF, 2 pages | 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 N326CA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N326CA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Beechcraft 99 Airliner 34 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Beechcraft 6 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney PT6A-28 25 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney PT6A-27 28 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Billings Logan International · nearest airport
- Dawson Community Airport · departed from
- Sidney-Richland Regional · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Montana 1,121 since 1982 · 166 in the last ten years
- Montana 6,041 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N326CA 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR17LA056.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.