- Date
- February 29, 1996, 13:11 local (21:11 UTC)
- Place
- Van Nuys, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2132FCessna U206
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 19, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960229003159A
- Case key
- 29380
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 improper use of the elevator control, while landing.
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 student pilot was practicing takeoffs and landings. During the first landing, she landed on the main landing gear with the control yoke full back. Reportedly, she released pressure on the yoke, the nose dropped, and the nose gear collapsed. The nose cowling contacted the runway, and the propeller was bent. The airplane then veered left off the runway after the left main landing gear contacted the runway shoulder. After the accident, the nose tire was found flat, and the nose wheel was broken. Evidence of corrosion was noted on the fractured wheel. However, a metallurgical examination of the broken wheel indicated that it had failed from overload.
Factual narrative
On February 29, 1996, at 1311 hours Pacific standard time, a Cessna U206, N2132F, collided with the surface of runway 16L, after the nose gear collapsed during the landing roll at the Van Nuys Airport, Van Nuys, California. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the solo student pilot was not injured. The airplane was being operated as a local instructional flight from the Van Nuys airport when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time.
The pilot indicated that she remained in the airport traffic pattern and was practicing take off and landings. During the first landing, the pilot landed on the main landing gear with the control yoke "full back." When the pilot released pressure on the yoke, the nose gear collapsed. The nose cowling contacted the runway and the propeller was bent. The airplane then veered left off the runway after the left main landing gear contacted the runway shoulder.
Examination of the airplane by an Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness inspector revealed the nose gear wheel had fractured, deflating the nose tire. The FAA inspector indicated he observed evidence of corrosion on the fractured wheel.
The wheel was examined by Cessna Aircraft Company under the supervision of the FAA. According to the Cessna Aircraft Company metallurgist, the wheel sustained impact damage to adjacent areas of the wheel rim flanges. Corrosion pitting was found in the fracture surface. There was no evidence of corrosion fatigue features found in the fracture surface. According to the aircraft manufacturer, metallography and scanning electron microscope evaluation of the broken wheel indicated overload as the mode of cracking.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2132F
- Reported as
- Cessna U206
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- U206-0332
- Airframe hours
- 3,024
- Engine
- Continental IO-520-A, 285 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Cunningham, Jean B
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 25, 1995 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- VNY
- Airport
- VNY · Van Nuys, runway 16L, 4,000 × 75 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
- 70
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 111 total · 41 in this make and model · 111 as pilot in command · 14 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VNY, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.