- Date
- May 22, 2001, 17:46 local (21:46 UTC)
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Injuries
- 19 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N142PAGrumman G-73
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 30, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Fort Lauderdale FSDO
- FAA report
- 20010522012019I
- Case key
- 52347
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
The improper review of component records by company maintenance personnel of returned landing gear components from a laboratory for magnaflux and x-ray. This resulted in unserviceable components being tagged as serviceable, installation of unserviceable parts on an operational airplane, and subsequent failure/collapse of the right main landing gear during taxi.
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 airplane was taxing to the ramp when the right main landing gear collapsed. Examination of the landing gear revealed evidence of preexisting cracks. Review of paper work by company maintenance personnel revealed that components had been sent to a laboratory for examination. Upon return of the components the paperwork indicated that two components had been rejected due to cracks. Company maintenance personnel stated that unserviceable components had been tagged as serviceable and installed on an operational airplane which resulted in the subsequent failure and collapse of the right main landing gear.
Factual narrative
On May 22, 2001, at about 1746 eastern daylight time, a Grumman G-73, N142PA, registered to Seaplane Leasing II LLC, operated by Flying Boat Inc, doing business as Chalks International Airlines flight 512, as a 14 CFR Part 121 scheduled international passenger flight, experienced a collapse of the right main landing gear while taxiing to the parking ramp. The airline transport pilot-in-command, commercial pilot copilot, and 17 passengers reported no injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a VFR flight plan was filed. The airplane sustained minor damage. The flight originated from Paradise Island, Bahamas, about 51 minutes before the incident.
Initial examination of the airplane by the FAA revealed the right main landing gear had separated. Two small preexisting cracks and corrosion was found in the vicinity of the failure location.
The Director of Maintenance for Chalks International stated that four landing gear parts were sent to Q.C. Labs for magnaflux and x-ray. The landing gear parts were picked up and brought back to the hangar. The landing gears were prepped, primed, painted, and the landing gear was installed on the incident airplane. On May 22, 2001, N142PA right main landing gear failed while taxiing to the terminal. A review of paperwork from Q.C. Labs revealed that two landing gear parts were rejected because of cracks. A red tag was also attached to the report. " At this time I realized that I had tagged an unserviceable part serviceable by mistake."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N142PA
- Reported as
- Grumman G-73
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- J42
- Airframe hours
- 29,548
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-60A, 680 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Flying Boat Inc, doing business as Chalks International Airlines
- Registered owner
- Seaplane Leasing II LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · May 21, 2001 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- PID · Paradise Island
- Destination
- FLL · Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- FLL · Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood Int
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 27
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,500 total · 1,300 in this make and model · 1,800 as pilot in command · 300 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine sea, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,300 total · 700 in this make and model · 500 as pilot in command · 280 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 79 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.88 inHg
- Observed at
- FLL
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 N142PA · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.