ANC19LA039

NTSB accident investigation · Cessna 402 · Boise, ID · July 22, 2019

Accident · No injuriesClass 3 · LimitedFinal report
Date
July 22, 2019, 11:47 local (17:47 UTC)
Place
Boise, ID
Injuries
3 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Landing
Aircraft
N7947QCessna 402
Defining event
Landing-landing roll: Landing gear collapse
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed
Report
Approved by Office Director
Investigation class
Class 3
NTSB office
Alaska Regional Office
Parties
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
FAA report
20190722012409A
Case key
99925

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

On this page

Probable cause

A ductile overstress fracture failure of the right main landing gear bell crank assembly pivot bolt, which resulted in a collapse of the right main landing gear.

Findings · 1

NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.

Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.

Analysis

The pilot reported that, during the landing approach, he selected the landing gear selector switch to the down position, which was followed by "three greens," indicating that the landing gear was down, locked, and safe for landing. He noted that all three occupants verified and verbally confirmed that the landing gear was "down and locked." The airplane landed uneventfully, but as the pilot started a left turn onto the taxiway, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing struck the ground, sustaining substantial damage. A postaccident examination of the landing gear system revealed that the right main landing gear assembly bell crank pivot bolt had sheared and displayed features consistent with a ductile overstress fracture from shear loading.

Factual narrative

On July 22, 2019, about 1147 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 402B airplane, N7947Q, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Boise, Idaho. The two pilots and the FAA observer were uninjured. The airplane was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91, in accordance with a Part 135.297 instrument proficiency check and a Part 135.399 check airman observation flight. The first pilot, who was the operator's director of operations, reported that he was receiving an instrument proficiency check from the second pilot, the operator's chief pilot; with an FAA aviation safety inspector in the passenger cabin observing the check ride for the purposes of a check airman observation flight. The first pilot stated that, after completing a series of required flight maneuvers, they returned to the departure airport, and the airplane was subsequently cleared to land. During the landing approach, he selected the landing gear selector switch to the down position, which was followed by "three greens," indicating that the landing gear was down, locked, and safe for landing. He noted that all three occupants verified and verbally confirmed that the landing gear was "down and locked." The first pilot stated that, after an uneventful landing, the airplane continued down the runway as the airplane decelerated. When the pilot started a left turn to exit the runway, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing impacted the ground, sustaining substantial damage. A postaccident examination of the landing gear system revealed that the right main landing gear assembly bell crank pivot bolt (p/n NAS464P4-26) had sheared and displayed features consistent with a ductile overstress fracture failure. Figure 1, from the applicable parts catalogue, depicts the main landing gear retraction linkage. The affected bolt from the accident airplane is labeled as #29. Figure 1. Cessna 402 Main Landing Gear Retraction Linkage Installation

Aircraft

Registration
N7947Q
Reported as
Cessna 402
Category
Airplane
Serial number
402B0397
Built
1973
Airframe hours
24,024
Engines
Continental TSIO-520-EB, 300 horsepower, reciprocatingContinental TSIO-520-EB, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Other work use · Part 91
Operator
Western Airlines LC
Registered owner
Western Airlines LC
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
AAIP · July 18, 2019
Departed
BOI · Boise, ID
Destination
BOI · Boise, ID
Airport
BOI · Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field, runway 10L, 10,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
Equipment
Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Onboard weather, Satellite tracking device

Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

Flight crew · 2

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

Role
Pilot
Age
65
Injuries
None
Certificates
Flight instructor, Airline transport
Airplane ratings
Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 2, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
January 21, 2019
Seat
Left
Restraint
Lap only
Toxicology
Performed
Flight hours
11,300 total · 6,800 in this make and model · 8,300 as pilot in command · 65 in the last 90 days · 18 in the last 30 days
Role
Check pilot
Age
64
Injuries
None
Certificate
Commercial
Airplane ratings
Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
June 3, 2019
Seat
Right
Restraint
Lap only
Flight hours
5,790 total · 1,260 in this make and model · 5,712 as pilot in command · 102 in the last 90 days · 32 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
Variable at 5 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
86 °F
Observed at
BOI

Docket · 4

The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 2, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.9 MB in all.

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.

Other investigations on N7947Q · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.