There Are Consequences to Making a Gear-Up Landing

Dealing with FAA, NTSB, and insurance firm was all a learning experience for this pilot.

Scott Peters

Wednesday, March 26, 2025 at 09:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

[Illustration: Joel Kimmel]

Key Takeaways:

An experienced pilot mistakenly retracted the landing gear instead of the flaps during rollout, causing their Beechcraft Baron to slide down the runway after a seemingly normal landing.
The incident led to immediate FAA and NTSB notification by witnesses, highlighting the importance of understanding the difference between reportable "incidents" and "accidents."
Through honest communication with the FAA and assistance from AOPA legal services, the event was quickly classified as an incident, leading to remedial training and the eventual repair of the "totaled" aircraft, reinforcing lessons about pre-flight checks and interaction with aviation authorities.

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On November 3, 2019 (coincidentally, my son’s birthday), I was flying with my fellow co-owner and pilot in our Beechcraft B55 Baron. We both had hundreds of hours and landings in that plane.

It was a beautiful CAVU day. Jim was in the left seat; I was in the right seat. The plane was current and legal, and I was current and legal. Jim, however, was out of his medical due to some recent surgery, but due to get it back soon. So, of course, that made me PIC, which was fine.