Event ERA17LA096

Factual narrative

On January 27, 2017, at 1750 eastern standard time, a Beech 200T, N60RA, was substantially damaged during landing at Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), West Palm Beach, Florida. The airline transport pilot and a commercial-rated copilot were not injured. The airplane was registered to a private corporation and operated by Eastern Air Express under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a positioning flight. Day, visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The flight originated at Treasure Cay, Bahamas (MYAT) at 1652.The pilot reported that the preflight and enroute portions of the flight were uneventful. The flight was established on the localizer for the approach to runway 28R, which was dry. Flaps were set to the approach position and the landing gear were extended and showed "3 green." After touchdown, he heard noises, and the airplane started to sink. After the airplane came to a stop on the right side of the runway, the pilots noticed that the gear handle was up. The pilot stated, "How did the gear handle get up?" He then placed the handle to the down position. The pilots secured the airplane and were met by first responders. An inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration responded to the accident site and examined the airplane. Structural damage to the fuselage was confirmed. All three landing gear were found in a partially extended position. Skid marks from all three tires were observed on the runway, leading up the main wreckage. Both propeller assemblies were damaged due to contact with the runway. The pressure vessel was compromised from contact with a propeller blade. The nose landing gear actuator was forced up, into the nose gear well and penetrated the upper nose skin. Examination of the landing gear components did not reveal evidence of a preexisting mechanical malfunction or malfunction. A 28-volt split-field motor, located on the forward side of the center-section main spar, extended and retracted the landing gear. The landing gear motor was controlled by a switch placarded "LDG GEAR CONT – UP – DN" on the pilot's right subpanel. The switch handle had to be pulled out of a detent before it could be moved from either the up or the down position. The pilot reported in a written statement that he went to bed around 2245 local on the evening prior to the accident and woke up around 0500 local. He also reported that he "was up several times" during the night to go to the bathroom. On the day of the accident, he flew 7 legs for a total of 5.2 hours. The only food he consumed that day was a banana for breakfast. The airline transport pilot reported that, before landing following an uneventful flight, he extended the wing flaps to the approach position and extended the landing gear; the gear indicator lights showed "3 green." After touchdown, he heard noises, and the airplane started to sink. After the airplane came to a stop on the right side of the runway, he noticed that the landing gear handle was up. The pilot stated to the copilot, "How did the gear handle get up?" then placed the handle to the down position and the flight crew exited the airplane. The copilot reported that he was acting as an observer during the flight and that he also saw three green landing gear down-and-locked indicator lights before landing. The airframe sustained substantial damage from contact with the runway. All three landing gear were found in a partially-extended position. Skid marks from all three tires were observed on the runway leading up to the main wreckage. Both propeller assemblies were damaged due to contact with the runway. The pressure vessel was compromised from contact with a propeller blade. The nose landing gear actuator was forced up, into the nose gear well and penetrated the upper nose skin. Examination of the landing gear components did not reveal evidence of a preexisting mechanical malfunction or malfunction. The skid marks leading to the wreckage and the partially-extended gear were inconsistent with the pilot's account that the gear handle was up after the airplane came to rest and was then lowered. The gear handle consisted of an electrical switch that required it to be pulled out of a detent before placing it up or down. There was no mechanical linkage between the gear handle and the landing gear, as the gear were driven by an electric motor. It is likely that the pilot realized that the gear were not extended just before touchdown and then tried to lower the gear, resulting in a touchdown with the gear only partially extended. The pilot reported that he had experienced several interruptions to his sleep the night before the accident. He also reported that he flew 7 legs on the day of the accident for a total of 5.2 hours, only eating a banana for breakfast during this time period. It is likely that the pilot's fatigue contributed to his failure to ensure that the landing gear were down and locked before landing. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Landing gear system-Landing gear/wheel fairing-Not used/operated - C
• C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Pilot - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot - C
• F Personnel issues-Physical-Alertness/Fatigue-Lack of sleep-Pilot - F