- Date
- November 14, 2009, 17:45 local (22:45 UTC)
- Place
- West Palm Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N884Air Gulfstream Airlines SX-300
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Landing gear collapse
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report May 6, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20091114052069A
- Case key
- 75099
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
The loss of directional control while landing for undetermined reasons.
Findings · 2
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 stated that the airplane began to track to the right immediately after touchdown on runway 15. He applied left rudder and full power in an attempt to go around and the airplane lifted briefly, but then touched down off the right side of the runway. Upon contact with the unimproved surface, all three landing gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. The nearest official weather reporting station, approximately 5 miles to the north of the accident site, reported that the winds were from 010 degrees at 6 knots. The pilot indicated that there was a mechanical malfunction with the brakes or landing gear that caused the airplane to track to the right upon touchdown. He also stated that he successfully performed a brake check prior to the flight, and that the airplane was tracking normally during the takeoff roll. Examination by an airframe and power plant mechanic revealed that the right main gear upper trunnion mount and the left main landing gear scissor were broken. All components of the brake system were in “very good, operational, condition” and there was no evidence of any preexisting anomalies with either the brakes or the landing gear.
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that the airplane began to track to the right immediately after touchdown on runway 15. He applied left rudder and full power in an attempt to go around, and the airplane lifted briefly, but then touched down off the right side of the runway. Upon contact with the unimproved surface, all three landing gear collapsed resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. The nearest official weather reporting station approximately 5 miles to the north of the accident site showed the winds were from 010 degrees at 6 knots. The pilot indicated on the NTSB 6120.1, that there was a mechanical malfunction with the brakes or landing gear that caused the airplane to track to the right upon touchdown. He also stated that he successfully performed a brake check prior to the flight, and that the airplane was tracking normally during the takeoff roll. Examination by an airframe and power plant mechanic revealed that the right main gear upper trunnion mount and the left main landing gear scissor were broken. All components of the brake system were in “very good, operational, condition”, and there was no evidence of any pre-existing anomalies with either the brakes or the landing gear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N884
- Reported as
- Air Gulfstream Airlines SX-300
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 84
- Airframe hours
- 931
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Air Gulfstream Airlines Inc
- Registered owner
- Air Gulfstream Airlines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 5, 2009 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- PHK · Pahokee, FL
- Destination
- LNA · West Palm Beach, FL
- Airport
- LNA · Palm Beach County Airport, runway 15, 3,421 × 100 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 72
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 13, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,950 total · 930 in this make and model · 4,950 as pilot in command · 41 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 10° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.90 inHg
- Observed at
- KPBI, 5 nm away
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 19, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 936 KB 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.