Beechcraft 58 N458K

Summary

On 27 December 2024 at about 23:30 local time, a Beechcraft 58 registered N458K was involved in an accident near Florence, South Carolina, United States. 6 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 December 2024 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Florence, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Florence Rgnl (FLO)

Coordinates

34.1867, -79.7187

Aircraft

Beechcraft 58

Registration

N458K

Category

Airplane

Year built

1974

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Beckley → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

IMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

ERA25LA094

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to follow the emergency procedures and extend the landing gear manually after the landing gear did not initially extend normally.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was on a return, cross country flight to his home airport in instrument meteorological conditions. The pilot reported that he first performed a non-precision approach into the airport, where he reported that the landing gear extended normally. After performing a missed approach, the pilot retracted the landing gear and he then performed a precision approach in the opposite direction. The pilot reported that he put the landing gear switch in the down position, but that the landing gear did not extend. The pilot elected to continue the approach without troubleshooting, extending the gear manually, or referring to the emergency checklist. The pilot subsequently landed the airplane on the runway with the landing gear retracted, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. After the accident, the pilot performed an operational check and troubleshooting of the landing gear without authorization. The pilot reported that the landing gear again failed to extend, but would retract during his testing. The pilot also reported that the manual landing gear extension system operated normally. During the testing, the pilot said he found an “open circuit of the gear relay due to moisture or foreign debris.” After troubleshooting, the pilot reported that the landing gear started to operate normally. After the pilot had performed the unauthorized troubleshooting, a Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the landing gear system, and performed a functional test, during which he found that it operated normally.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.