July 20, 2023 - DEATH VALLEY, Calif. – Inyo County Sheriff's Office officials report that a main runway at Bishop Airport was temporarily closed and a commercial flight to San Francisco was canceled following a minor incident this morning involving a cargo plane operating for UPS.

A Beech 99 belonging to AmeriFlight, the largest cargo Part 135 airline in the U.S., experienced a landing gear malfunction shortly after takeoff from Bishop Airport this morning at approximately 9:40 a.m. The aircraft circled the airport several times, seeking and receiving confirmation that the landing gear was down. The aircraft attempted to land on Runway 30 at about 9:55 a.m., at which time the landing gear collapsed and the plane skidded into the runway safety area at midfield.

Airport operations alerted dispatch requesting fire and law enforcement response, and responded to the scene in the County’s Aircraft and Fire Rescue Vehicle. The pilot – the sole occupant of the aircraft – was uninjured and although the plane sustained damage, there were no fuel leaks, fires, or damage to the runway.

Responding agencies included the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol, Bishop Volunteer Fire Department, and Chalfant Volunteer Fire Department. The National Transportation Safety Board has been notified and will perform an investigation.

AmeriFlight is sending an incident response team to investigate and retrieve the aircraft this afternoon. Until the Beech 99 is removed, Runway 12-30 will remain closed. As such, the United Express commercial flight scheduled to arrive at Bishop from San Francisco at 2:38 p.m. this afternoon has been canceled. Commercial flights should resume on Thursday, July 20.

Shown: Runway 30.

Source & photo: Inyo County Sheriff's Office