N924JL

On August 6, 1998, approximately 1830 mountain daylight time, a Beech D95A Travel Air, N924JL, was substantially damaged following the collapse of the landing gear during landing rollout at Double Eagle II Airport, Albuquerque, New Mexico. The airline transport rated pilot and his passenger were not injured. The airplane was being operated by the pilot under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country personal flight which originated approximately 45 minutes before the accident. No flight plan had been filed.

The pilot reported that he was landing on runway 22, and during the landing roll, the airplane pitched forward and to the right. He said that the airplane exited the runway to the right and came to rest facing the opposite direction.

Postaccident examination of the landing gear system, by an FAA airworthiness inspector, revealed no mechanical anomalies which would have precluded normal operation. He further observed that the right main inner gear door exhibited crushing and inward deformation. A representative from Beechcraft (the airplane's manufacturer) stated that when the landing gear is down and locked, the inner gear doors are up and locked (flush with the bottom of the airplane). He further stated that the landing gear handle is on the right side of the power control quadrant and the flap handle is on the left side of the power control quadrant. The representative further stated that the majority of general aviation aircraft have their landing gear handle on the left side of the power control quadrant and the flap handle on the right side of the power control quadrant.

The pilot reported that he purchased the airplane on July 30, 1998, 7 days before the accident. He further indicated on his NTSB's Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report that he had a total of 15 hours of flight experience in N924JL.