- Date
- January 10, 1991, 17:16 local (22:16 UTC)
- Place
- Elkhart, IN
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4695XCessna 320E
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910110000319A
- Case key
- 14984
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 fractured landing gear retraction assembly component and the pilot's improper emergency procedure.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
A pilot experienced a hung nose gear on retraction after takeoff. Normal and manual attempts to extend the nose gear failed. While cycling the gear, the pilot experienced power loss twice on the left engine, and the right engine hesitated once. Adjustment of the fuel selector handles recovered the engines. The pilot continued to final approach configured for landing with defective gear, with full flaps and main gear down. The pilot recounted he had no power response from either engine below 400 feet on final. He increased his descent angle to maintain 100 mph but had insufficient speed to flare for touchdown. Examination of the airplane showed the cam roller which centers the nose wheel on retraction had fractured, and the nose gear drive tube buckled and fractured where fuel selector handles attach to cables to selector valves.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4695X
- Reported as
- Cessna 320E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 320E-0067
- Airframe hours
- 3,505
- Engine
- Continental TS10-520-B, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Warner, Jack E.
- Registered owner
- Warner, Jack E.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 5, 1990 · 22 hours before
- Destination
- 3C1 · IN
- Airport
- EKM · Elkhart Municipal
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 293 total · 146 in this make and model · 188 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 90° at 15 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,200 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- EKM, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.