# NTSB ERA17LA121: Cessna 340, N340DW, Ft Lauderdale, FL, March 2, 2017 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: March 2, 2017, 10:34 local (15:34 UTC) - Place: Ft Lauderdale, FL - Coordinates: 26.197221, -80.170829 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=26.1972&lon=-80.1708&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Landing-landing roll: Landing gear collapse](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report November 6, 2019 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Eastern Region Aviation - Parties: FAA/FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 94819 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ERA17LA121 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/94819/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=94819 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA17LA121 ## Probable cause Failure of the left main landing gear downlock link, which resulted in a landing gear collapse during the landing roll. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Landing gear system: main landing gear](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023210): Aircraft › Aircraft systems · Failure (probable cause); cases with it: [Cessna 340A, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023210/cases.md?model=2076405), [All aircraft, 241 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01023210/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Landing-landing roll: Landing gear collapse](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094) (defining event); cases with it: [Cessna 340A, 5 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094/sequence.md?model=2076405), [All aircraft, 1,787 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094/sequence.md) - [Landing-landing roll: Dragged wing/rotor/float/other](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/093); cases with it: [Cessna 340A, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/093/sequence.md?model=2076405), [All aircraft, 319 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/093/sequence.md) - [Landing-landing roll: Runway excursion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300); cases with it: [Cessna 340A, 6 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300/sequence.md?model=2076405), [All aircraft, 3,643 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300/sequence.md) - [Landing-landing roll: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Cessna 340A, 14 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=2076405), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) ## Analysis During approach, the airline transport pilot observed a cockpit indication that the landing gear was down and locked; however, the left main landing gear collapsed during the landing roll. The left propeller struck the runway, and the airplane veered off the left side of the runway and came to rest in the grass. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the left main landing gear downlock link had separated. The airplane experienced a previous landing gear collapse about 3 years before the accident. However, it had been flown about 6 hours uneventfully after extensive repairs from the previous accident and two subsequent annual inspections. It could not be determined if these events are related. ## Factual narrative On March 2, 2017, about 1034 eastern standard time, a privately owned and operated Cessna 340A, N340DW, was substantially damaged when the landing gear collapsed during landing at the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE), Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The airline transport pilot was not injured. The local flight departed FXE about 0930. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the post maintenance test flight, which was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.According to the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to perform a post maintenance check. He departed FXE to the northwest and performed maneuvers and aircraft systems checks before returning to FXE. On approach for runway 9, he observed a three-green landing gear down indication. During the landing roll, the left main landing gear collapsed, the left propeller struck the runway, and the airplane veered off the left side of the runway and came to rest in the grass. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed that the airplane had been substantially damaged. The left wing aft spar was bent, the left wing tip tank, wing flaps, and leading edge were impact damaged, and the left propeller blade tips were curled back. Further examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed that the left main landing gear downlock link separated. The inspector added that a previous landing gear collapse occurred in the Cayman Islands on April 21, 2014. According to airplane maintenance records, the airplane had undergone extensive maintenance in December of 2015, including replacement of the left aileron, left inboard and outboard flaps, and removal, inspection, and servicing of all three landing gear. The airplane's most recent annual inspection was completed on January 19, 2017. At the time of the inspection, the airplane had accrued 3,977 total hours of operation. According to the Hobbs meter, the airplane had been operated 4.6 hours between the completion of the December 2015 repairs (and January 2016 annual inspection) and the most recent annual inspection. The airplane had been operated an additional 1.3 hours from the time of the most recent inspection, until the accident. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N340DW](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N340DW), registered now, S/N 340A-0497, built 1978 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA 340 (A) - Registry model: [Cessna 340A](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-340a) (registry code 2076405) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [TCM Cont TSIO-520 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/tcm-cont-tsio-520-series) (registry code 17060, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 340A-0497 - Year built: 1978 - Airframe hours: 3978 - Engines: CONT MOTOR TSIO-520-NB 310 horsepower reciprocating; CONT MOTOR TSIO-520-NB 310 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Flight test, Part 91 - Operator: Southern Aircraft Consultancy Inc Truste - Registered owner: Southern Aircraft Consultancy Inc Truste - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, January 19, 2017, 1 hours before - Departed: FXE, Ft Lauderdale, FL - Destination: FXE, Ft Lauderdale, FL - Airport: FXE, Fort Lauderdale Executive, runway 9, 6,002 × 100 ft, asphalt - Equipment: Auto-pilot, Onboard weather, Stall warning system ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 78; injuries: none; private, airline transport; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; last flight review June 10, 2016; seat: left; restraint: 3-point; flight hours: 2,089 total, 205 in this make and model, 1,800 as pilot in command, 24 in the last 90 days, 12 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 190° at 7 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 3,200 ft broken - Temperature: 84 °F, dew point 66 °F - Altimeter: 30.09 inHg - Observed at: FXE ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20170302001859A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20170302001859A), Mar 2, 2017: Cessna 340A, Fort Lauderdale, FL, Substantial damage. Aircraft N340DW was on landing rollout on rwy 09 at fxe the left gear collapsed. ## Docket (6 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 7, 2019, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=94819. 3.8 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120. (item 1, .PDF, 1.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40473911&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.-Master.PDF - Interview Summary (item 2, .PDF, 51 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40473917&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Interview%20Summary-Master.PDF - FAA Inspector Statement and Schematic (item 3, .PDF, 282 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40473913&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=FAA%20Inspector%20Statement%20and%20Schematic-Master.PDF - Excerpts From Maintenance Records (item 4, .PDF, 1.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40473914&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Excerpts%20From%20Maintenance%20Records-Master.PDF - Hobbs Meter (item 5, .PDF, 178 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40473915&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Hobbs%20Meter-Master.PDF - Photo Array (item 6, .PDF, 1.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40473916&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%20Array-Master.PDF 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.