20230713010029I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 421C · Southport, NC · July 13, 2023

Date: July 13, 2023 · 16:05 local
Place: Southport, NC
Airport: Cape Fear Regional Jetport
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N425MF
Reported as: Cessna 421C
Reported engine: Pratt & Whitney PT6A series
People aboard: 4
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,250 total26 in this make and model53 in the last 90 days

N425MFRegistration cancelled Oct 30, 2025 · Cessna 421CS/N 421C0270 · Built 1977 Airframe modelCessna 421C Engine modelPratt & Whitney PT6A seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Upon touchdown, aircraft left main landing gear turned sideways and began oscillating left and right due to a lost castle nut and bolt at the scissor link knuckle. This imparted a leftward drag onto the aircraft. Pilot applied full right brake and rudder, but was not able to fully overcome leftward drag. Aircraft exited the runway to the left at which point the left main gear dug into the dirt and was broken off. There were no injuries of people onboard and all were able to exit the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

UPON TOUCHDOWN, AIRCRAFT LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR TURNED SIDEWAYS AND BEGAN OSCILLATING LEFT AND RIGHT DUE TO A LOST CASTLE NUT AND BOLT AT THE SCISSOR LINK KNUCKLE. THIS IMPARTED A LEFTWARD DRAG ONTO THE AIRCRAFT. PILOT APPLIED FULL RIGHT BRAKE AND RUDDER, BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO FULLY OVERCOME LEFTWARD DRAG. AIRCRAFT EXITED THE RUNWAY TO THE LEFT AT WHICH POINT THE LEFT MAIN GEAR DUG INTO THE DIRT AND WAS BROKEN OFF. THERE WERE NO INJURIES OF PEOPLE ONBOARD AND ALL WERE ABLE TO EXIT THE AIRCRAFT.