# Accident 19980726017609A: Beech C23, Avalon, CA, July 26, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 26, 1998, 13:10 local time
- Place: Avalon, CA
- Airport: Catalina Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.3798° N, 118.4491° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.3798&lon=-118.4491&mi=10
- Aircraft: N18961, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N18961-1998-11-05) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Beech C23 (registry code 1151242, https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-c23) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BEECH C23
- Reported engine: LYC O360*
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 428 total, 240 in this make and model, 28 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX98LA248](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98LA248) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980726017609A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON FINAL TO RWY 22 LAST 100 FT, ACFT DROPPED AND HIT HARD, LEFT MAIN AND NOSE WHEEL COLLAPSED, ACFT PULLED OFF TO LEFT SIDE OF RWY. (.4) ON JULY 26, 1998, AT 1310 HOURS PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, A BEECH C23, N18961, LANDED HARD AND COLLAPSED THE LANDING GEAR AT THE AVALON, CALIFORNIA, AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED, AND THE COMMERCIAL PILOT/OWNER AND THREE PASSENGERS, THE SOLE OCCUPANTS, WERE NOT INJURED. THE PERSONAL FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT THE TEMECULA, CALIFORNIA, AIRPORT, ABOUT 1100, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT ON FINAL APPROACH FOR RUNWAY 22, HE SET 15 DEGREES OF FLAPS AND MAINTAINED 70-75 KNOTS OF AIRSPEED. HE STATED THAT HIS INTENTION WAS TO STAY SLIGHTLY HIGH ON THE GLIDE PATH AND LAND ABOUT 200 FEET BEYOND THE RUNWAY NUMBERS. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT AS HE WAS APPROACHING THE NUMBERS, THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT SEEMED TO SUDDENLY STOP AND BEGIN TO DROP. HE STATED THAT BEFORE HE WAS ABLE TO APPLY POWER, THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE RUNWAY AND THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR AND NOSE WHEEL COLLAPSED. THE AIRCRAFT VEERED OFF TO THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE WINDS WERE FROM 270 DE                  GREES AT 12-15 KNOTS. HE FURTHER REPORTED THAT HE HAD NOT EXPERIENCED ANY MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION WITH THE AIRCRAFT PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX98LA248](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX98LA248), Jul 26, 1998: Beech C23 (N18961), Avalon, CA, destroyed. Probable cause: The failure of the pilot to maintain an adequate airspeed during the landing, which resulted in a stall/mush and hard landing.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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