- Date
- August 30, 1987, 12:53 local (19:53 UTC)
- Place
- Lancaster, CA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N39DDCessna 310D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 24, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870830053299A
- Case key
- 25684
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
The pilot-in-command (PIC) rprtd that he heard a loud bang during gear retraction after takeoff. By using the convex mirrors mounted on the tip tanks, he determined that the nose gear was hanging. He cycled the landing gear switch several times, but the nose gear did not move. The PIC stated that he elected to land on a smooth section of ground which was the approach to rwy 24. He stated that during touchdown, the nose gear swung into its wheel well, but the left main gear collapsed. The acft then turned to the left & the rgt main gear failed from side loading. Subsequently, the acft slid to a stop with both tip tanks broken off. An exam revealed the nose gear rod end link that connected to the landing gear transmission gearbox had fractured.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N39DD
- Reported as
- Cessna 310D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 39140
- Airframe hours
- 6,000
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-A1A5, 290 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Harry H. Richardson
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 17, 1987 · 130 hours before
- Departed
- WJF
- Destination
- O17 · Grass Valley, CA
- Airport
- WJF · William J. Fox, runway 24, 5,001 × 150 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
- 47
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,129 total · 178 in this make and model · 1,129 as pilot in command · 64 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- WJF
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.