NTSB MIA89IA247 — 1989-09-12 · JACKSON, Mississippi, United States

Current FAA registration · N9604R

Make / Model: BEECH G18S
Year of manufacture: 1959 · 30 years old at event
Engine: P&W R-985 SERIES (450 hp)
Seats / Engines: 10 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date: 19591021
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S AD5F1A

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N9604R Beech G18S None

Probable cause & findings

FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO CORRECTLY PERFORM THE EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION PROCEDURES. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE FAILURE OF THE NORMAL GEAR EXTENSION SYSTEM.

Factual narrative

THE PLT LOWERED THE LANDING GEAR SELECTOR HANDLE WHILE ON APCH TO LAND BUT THE GEAR DID NOT EXTEND. THE FLT DEPARTED THE ARPT TRAFFIC AREA & THE PLT ATTEMPTED TO LOWER THE GEAR VIA THE EMERGENCY EXTENSION PROCEDURES BUT WAS UNABLE. THE PLT PERFORMED A LOW APCH PAST THE TOWER FOR CONFIRMATION THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN & WAS ADVISED THAT IT APPEARED TO BE. THE FLT RETURNED FOR LANDING & AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE GEAR COLLAPSED. AFTER THE INCIDENT WHILE RAISING THE PLANE FROM THE RWY, THE PLT WAS ASKED TO LOWER THE GEAR VIA THE EMERGENCY METHOD BUT WAS UNABLE BECAUSE HE RELEASED THE CLUTCH WHILE CRANKING THE GEAR DOWN. THE CORRECT PROCEDURE WAS TO HOLD THE CLUTCH IN WHILE DOING SO. AN EXAM OF THE ACFT REVEALED A FAILURE OF THE DYNAMIC BRAKE RELAY. THE PURPOSE OF THE RELAY WAS TO PREVENT COASTING OF THE GEAR MOTOR & GEARS BY MOMENTARILY REVERSING THE MOTOR WHEN THE UP LIMIT WAS REACHED, BUT THE FAILURE PREVENTED IT FROM DOING SO. THE FAILED COMPONENT WAS REPLACED & THE GEAR OPERATED NORMALLY. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1989_MIA89IA247.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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