- Date
- September 28, 2002, 10:40 local (15:40 UTC)
- Place
- Mineral Wells, TX
- Injuries
- 6 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7926RCessna 421B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 13, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20020928027689A
- Case key
- 55806
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 pilot's failure to maintain a proper descent rate which resulted hard landing and a subsequent failure of the main landing gear.
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
During the landing roll, the left wing dropped, as the left main landing gear collapsed. The aircraft slid off the left side of the runway and came to a stop shortly thereafter. A pilot-rated passenger, who was seated in the right front seat during the accident, stated that the landing was "normal, [and] the left wing dipped after touchdown like the landing gear gave way." A witness, who was a pilot in an airplane at the approach end of runway, reported that "the approach of the airplane appeared normal until the aircraft was about 5 to 10 feet in the air, at which time the aircraft descent rate started to accelerate. The airplane touched down at a higher than normal sink rate." The airplane bounced after touchdown, and the left main landing gear appeared to collapse. The witness stated, "In my opinion it was a hard landing which would require at least a visual inspection before flying again."
Factual narrative
On September 28, 2002, approximately 1040 central daylight time, a Cessna 421B twin-engine airplane, N7926R, was substantially damaged following loss of control after the left main landing gear separated during a hard landing at the Mineral Wells Airport (MWL), Mineral Wells, Texas. The commercial pilot and the five passengers were not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Dosmatic USA Inc., of Carrollton, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The flight departed the Arlington Municipal Airport, Arlington, Texas, approximately 1000, and was destined for Mineral Wells.
The pilot reported that the flight approached MWL from the east, entered a left downwind for runway 13, and "the approach and landing were normal." During the landing roll, after touchdown on runway 13, the left wing dropped. The aircraft slid off the left side of the runway and came to a stop shortly thereafter. A pilot-rated passenger, who was seated in the right front seat during the accident, stated that the landing was "normal, [and] the left wing dipped after touchdown like the landing gear gave way."
A witness, who was a pilot in an airplane at the approach end of runway 13, reported that "the approach of the airplane appeared normal until the aircraft was about 5 to 10 feet in the air, at which time the aircraft descent rate started to accelerate. The airplane touched down at a higher than normal sink rate." The airplane bounced after touchdown, and the left main landing gear appeared to collapse. The right main landing gear failed as the airplane departed the runway. "In my opinion it was a hard landing which would require at least a visual inspection before flying again."
Examination of the left main landing gear assembly revealed that the left bellcrank was fractured. According to a metallurigist, the fracture surface displayed 45 degree shear lips that was consistent with overstress.
At 1053, the Mineral Wells weather observation facility, located at the airport, reported the wind was calm.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7926R
- Reported as
- Cessna 421B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 421B-0370
- Airframe hours
- 4,062
- Engine
- Continental GTSIO-520-H, 375 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Dosmatic USA Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 3, 2002
- Departed
- GKY · Arlington, TX
- Destination
- MWL · Mineral Wells, TX
- Airport
- MWL · Mineral Wells, runway 13, 6,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 41
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- October 31, 2000
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,148 total · 2,709 in this make and model · 6,043 as pilot in command · 105 in the last 90 days · 57 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.