- Date
- July 26, 1998, 13:10 local (20:10 UTC)
- Place
- Avalon, CA
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N18961Beech C23
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 16, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980726017609A
- Case key
- 43558
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 failure of the pilot to maintain an adequate airspeed during the landing, which resulted in a stall/mush and hard 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 pilot was on final approach for runway 22, with 15 degrees of flaps and 70-75 knots of airspeed. He intended to land about 200 feet beyond the runway numbers, but as he approached the numbers, the nose of the aircraft seemed to suddenly stop and begin to drop. He stated that before he was able of apply power, the aircraft hit the runway and the left main landing gear and nose wheel collapsed. The aircraft veered off to the left side of the runway. The winds were from 270 degrees at 12-15 knots. The pilot reported that he had not experienced any mechanical malfunction with the aircraft prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
On July 26, 1998, at 1310 hours Pacific daylight time, a Beech C23, N18961, landed hard and collapsed the landing gear at the Avalon, California, airport. The aircraft was destroyed, and the commercial pilot/owner and three passengers, the sole occupants, were not injured. The personal flight originated at the Temecula, California, airport, about 1100, and no flight plan was filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
The pilot reported that on final approach for runway 22, he set 15 degrees of flaps and maintained 70-75 knots of airspeed. He stated that his intention was to stay slightly high on the glide path and land about 200 feet beyond the runway numbers. The pilot reported that as he was approaching the numbers, the nose of the aircraft seemed to suddenly stop and begin to drop. He stated that before he was able to apply power, the aircraft hit the runway and the left main landing gear and nose wheel collapsed. The aircraft veered off to the left side of the runway.
The pilot reported that the winds were from 270 degrees at 12-15 knots. He further reported that he had not experienced any mechanical malfunction with the aircraft prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N18961
- Reported as
- Beech C23
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- M-1983
- Airframe hours
- 2,583
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Brian Hagler
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 30, 1998 · 28 hours before
- Departed
- CRQ · Carlsbad, CA
- Destination
- AVX
- Airport
- AVX · Catalina, runway 22, 3,240 × 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
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 428 total · 240 in this make and model · 368 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
- Observed at
- AVX
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.