NTSB WPR13CA422 — 2013-09-21 · Seattle, Washington, United States

Current FAA registration · N5894S

Make / Model: BEECH S35
Year of manufacture: 1965 · 48 years old at event
Engine: CONT MOTOR IO 520 SERIES (285 hp)
Seats / Engines: 6 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 19650128
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S A79A4C

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N5894S Beech 35 - UNDESIGNAT None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's distracted attention and failure to extend the landing gear, which resulted in a gear up landing.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that he was instructed by air traffic control to enter a right downwind following a [corporate] jet that was on final approach, and he was warned about wake turbulence. The pilot further stated that as he observed the jet pass by, he turned to watch it land so he could land beyond its touchdown point. The pilot revealed that in doing so, this interrupted him from completing his landing checklist and he failed to extend the landing gear. The airplane subsequently landed gear up which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that he was instructed by air traffic control to enter a right downwind following a corporate jet that was on final approach, and he was warned about wake turbulence. The pilot further stated that as he observed the jet pass by, he turned to watch it land so he could land beyond its touchdown point. The pilot revealed that in doing so, this interrupted him from completing his landing checklist and he failed to extend the landing gear. The airplane subsequently landed gear up which resulted in substantial damage to the airframe. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Forgotten action/omission-Pilot - C
C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Configuration-Incorrect use/operation - C
C Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Task monitoring/vigilance-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2013_WPR13CA422.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (wake turbulence, turbulence). All research papers