Beechcraft 95-B55 (T42A) N8313N

Summary

On 20 August 2025 at about 13:24 local time, a Beechcraft 95-B55 (T42A) registered N8313N, operated by St Pete Aviation Services LLC, was involved in an accident near St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. One person was 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

20 August 2025 at 13:24

Classification

Accident

Location

St. Petersburg, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Albert Whitted (SPG)

Coordinates

27.7651, -82.6269

Aircraft

Beechcraft 95-B55 (T42A)

Registration

N8313N

Category

Airplane

Year built

1968

Engines

2

Operator

St Pete Aviation Services LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Punta Gorda

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA25LA343

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to extend the landing gear prior to landing. Contributing to the accident was a malfunction of the landing gear’s electrical retraction/extension system, which tripped the circuit breaker.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the multi-engine airplane departed from the airplane’s home airport on a cross-country flight. The pilot stated that the takeoff and initial climb were normal; however, shortly after departure, he noted that the alternators went offline and the battery began to discharge. The pilot attempted to restore the alternators by resetting the switches and field circuit breakers. Unable to regain alternator functionality, the pilot elected to abort the flight and return to the departure airport. The pilot reported that he attempted to extend the landing gear and heard the gear motor operate. During the return to the airport, the pilot reported additional electrical issues, such as the airplane’s primary flight display turning off and rebooting. While on final approach to the airport, the pilot reported that the landing gear down and locked light was not illuminated; however, the mechanical tab on the floorboard indicated the landing gear was down. Upon touchdown, the landing gear collapsed, and the airplane skidded down the runway to a stop resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. Surveillance images of the airplane as it was on final approach revealed that the nose landing gear was not extended and the main landing gear appeared to be at least partially extended. Had the pilot coordinated with the control tower to observe the landing gear position, it is possible that they would have been able to alert the pilot that all of the landing gear were not fully extended. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the landing gear motor circuit breaker had tripped and that the landing gear was capable of being extended and locked in place using the emergency extension system. The examination also revealed that both alternator belts were in place on the alternators, and the battery had sufficient voltage to operate the airplane’s electrical system. Since the landing gear was able to be extended using the emergency extension system, it is likely that the landing gear circuit breaker had tripped due to an electrical wiring issue or an issue with the landing gear motor.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.