- Date
- June 16, 1990, 13:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Long Beach, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N86640Grumman G21A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900616021249A
- Case key
- 26841
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 retract the landing gear resulting in an inadvertent wheels-down landing in water. In addition, a loss of elevator control was encountered due to a stress corrosion failure of an elevator control cable turnbuckle as a result of inadequate maintenance and inspection. Factors which contributed to the accident were: a previous hard landing as a result of an improper level-off, and the pilot's lack of recent experience in the make and model airplane.
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 18-month period prior to this flight the acft had been rebuilt. This was the first flight to leak-check the hull before painting. Several water landings were made; the last being referred to by a witness 'it hit the water'. The pilot stated that while returning to Long Beach all elevator control was lost. He elected to land back in the water, and forgot the wheels were down. The landing was made using power and elev trim, and the acft nosed over near the shoreline. Investigation revealed a discolored & corroded elev control cable turnbuckle that had failed due to stress corrosion cracking, with the final failure mode of tensile overload. The pilot stated that he had not made a water landing in over one year. About 2-1/2 hrs after the occurrence the pilot's blood alcohol level was 0.022%.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N86640
- Reported as
- Grumman G21A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1160
- Engine
- P&W R-985, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Richard Probert
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
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
- 40
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Expired
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 1,600 total · 300 in this make and model · 1,500 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N86640 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.