# NTSB FTW98LA416: Cessna 551, N59GB, Pueblo, CO, September 28, 1998 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: September 28, 1998, 10:47 local (16:47 UTC) - Place: Pueblo, CO - Coordinates: 38.290187, -104.539741 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.2902&lon=-104.5397&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 4 uninjured - Status: Completed, report August 21, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 44051 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=FTW98LA416 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/44051/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW98LA416 ## Probable cause The pilot's delayed flare, improper recovery from a bounced landing, and failure to maintain directional control. A factor was the rough uneven terrain. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - roll - flare - delayed, pilot in command (cause) - recovery from bounced landing - improper, pilot in command (cause) - directional control - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - On ground/water encounter with terrain/water, landing - roll - terrain condition - rough/uneven (contributing factor) ## Analysis The pilot said his landing on runway 8L (10,496 ft. X 150 ft., asphalt) was normal. He pushed the nose forward and began to deploy the thrust reversers when the front of the airplane began to 'veer and then oscillate up and down.' The airplane felt 'very stiff up front as if [it] had hit something.' The airplane became airborne and touched down again, and went off the side of the runway. Control tower personnel said it appeared to them that the pilot had made a 'hard landing.' The pilot recalled that another pilot had inadvertently taxied the airplane off a runway and had become mired in mud. The incident had occurred about one year before the accident. A cable had been wrapped around the nose wheel strut by the retrieval crew and the airplane winched out of the mud. Reportedly, the steering had not been the same since that incident. A review of the airplane maintenance records revealed no entries made as a result of this excursion. ## Factual narrative On September 28, 1998, at 1047 mountain daylight time, a Cessna 551, N59GB, owned and operated by Ram Air Sales and Leasing, LLC, was substantially damaged during landing at Pueblo Memorial Airport, Pueblo, Colorado. The private pilot and his three passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an IFR flight plan had been filed for the personal flight conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight originated at Traverse City, Michigan, at 0900 eastern daylight time. According to the pilot's accident report, he was landing on runway 8L (10,496 ft. X 150 ft., asphalt). He said the landing was normal. He pushed the nose forward and was in the process of deploying the thrust reversers when the front of the airplane began to "veer and then oscillate up and down." The airplane felt "very stiff up front as if [it] had hit something." The airplane became airborne and touched down again, then veered off the runway. The fuselage and both wings sustained internal damage. The nose gear was destroyed. Control tower personnel told an FAA inspector that it appeared to them that the pilot had made a "hard landing." Post-accident inspection disclosed no objects or debris on the runway. The pilot, Michael Roberts, recalled that another pilot had inadvertently taxied the airplane off the runway at Traverse City and had become mired in mud. He said the incident had occurred about one year before the accident. Mr. Roberts said a cable had been wrapped around the nose wheel strut by the retrieval crew and the airplane winched out of the mud. He said the steering had not been the same since that incident. A review of the airplane maintenance records revealed no entries made as a result of this excursion. The shimmy dampner was removed from examination and testing. Accident damage precluded an assessment of its proper operating condition. The airplane was equipped with a cockpit voice recorder (CVR). It was removed and shipped to NTSB's laboratory for readout. According to the CVR specialist who listened to the tape, nothing was heard that would have added to or clarified what the pilot reported. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N59GB](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N59GB), registered now, S/N 551-0060, built 1982 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Cessna 551 - Registry model: [Cessna 551](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-551) (registry code 2076605) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-canada-jt15d-4-series) (registry code 52112, turbo-fan) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 551-0060 - Airframe hours: 4738 - Engines: P&W JD-15 2500 horsepower turbo jet - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: Ram Air Sales And Leasing, LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Continuous airworthiness, March 21, 1998, 94 hours before - Departed: TVC, TRAVERSE CITY, MI - Destination: PUB - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: PUB, Pueblo Memorial Airport, runway 8L, 10,496 × 150 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 39; private; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 1,045 total, 109 in this make and model, 931 as pilot in command, 72 in the last 90 days, 22 in the last 30 days, 3 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 160° at 4 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 72 °F, dew point 54 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: PUB ## 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 19980928034789A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980928034789A), Sep 28, 1998: Cessna 551, Pueblo, CO, Substantial damage. The pilot stated that it was a normal touch down, two mains touched down first smooth, pushed nose forward when front end started to veer and then oscillate up… 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.