N411B – BEECH K35 – 2008-11-14 NTSB Accident Report

On November 14, 2008, a Beech K35 (N411B) was involved in an incident near Port Townsend, WA. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's failure to lower the landing gear prior to landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to use a checklist and the distraction caused by the discussion with the passenger.

The pilot decided to make a straight-in visual flight rules (VFR) approach to the destination airport after a flight of less than 10 minutes from his point of departure. There was departing traffic at the non-controlled destination airport and the pilot said he became distracted while discussing that traffic with his passenger. The pilot, who said he normally makes sure the gear is down while on downwind, did not use a checklist and failed to lower the gear prior to landing. The subsequent contact with the runway surface resulted in damage to a fuselage bulkhead.

This incident is documented in NTSB report WPR09CA101. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N411B.