Cessna 421C N3237U
6 May 1983 · Gainesville, Florida, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 6 May 1983 at about 18:46 local time, a Cessna 421C registered N3237U was involved in an accident near Gainesville, Florida, United States. 6 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 18:46
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Gainesville, Florida, United States
- Nearest airport
- Gainesville Regional (GNV)
- Coordinates
- 29.6508, -82.4195
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421C
- Registration
- N3237U
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- West Palm Beach → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- MIA83LA139
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
DURING TAKEOFF, THE AIRCREW HEARD AN UNUSUAL 'THUD' SOUND AS THE GEAR WAS RETRACTING, BUT ALL GEAR INDICATIONS WERE NORMAL. PRIOR TO LANDING AT THE DESTINATION, 3 GREEN LIGHTS WERE OBSERVED WHEN THE LANDING GEAR SWITCH WAS MOVED TO EXTEND THE GEAR. A NORMAL TOUCHDOWN WAS MADE, BUT WHEN THE NOSE WAS LOWER, THE ACFT SETTLED ON ITS NOSE. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ROD END, PN MS21242S4K, WHICH CONNECTS THE NOSE GEAR TO THE NOSE GEAR ACTUATOR, HAD FAILED. A METALLURGICAL EXAM REVEALED SIGNS OF HIGH STRESS FATIGUE CRACKING OVER 1/2 OF THE FRACTURE SURFACE. THE FATIGUE ORIGINATED IN THE CURVE OF A THREAD RUNOUT THAT WAS CORRODED. THE RADIUS OF THE CURVED SURFACE MEASURED 0.056 INCH. THE SPECIFICATION, MS-21242, REQUIRED A MINIMUM RADIUS OF 0.063 INCH. SINCE THE DOWN POSITION SWITCH WAS CONNECTED THE ACTUATOR, IT HAD INDICATED A SAFE INDICATION WHEN THE ACTUATOR HAD OPERATED TO THE EXTENDED POSITION. HOWEVER, WITH THE ROD END FAILURE, THE NOSE GEAR WAS HANGING IN AN LOCKED POSITION.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Cessna 421 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Sep 1983 | Cessna 421C | Port Lavaca, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 7 Jan 1983 | Cessna 421C | Houston, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Dec 1983 | Cessna 421 | Harbor Springs, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Oct 1983 | Cessna 421C | Center, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Feb 1983 | Cessna 421 | Dayton, Tennessee, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Aug 1983 | Cessna 421C | Centerto, Indiana, United States | M.f.s. Associates | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 May 1983 | Lockheed L-1011 | Miami, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Jan 1983 | Cessna 152 | La Belle, Florida, United States | Mark Wayne Brown | Fatal | 2 |
| 8 Jan 1983 | Cessna 150 | Green Cove Spgs, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 21 Jan 1983 | Beechcraft C45H | Leesburg, Florida, United States | Raymond A. Waldrop | Serious injuries | - |
| 21 Jan 1983 | Beechcraft E18-S | Naples, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Jan 1983 | Piper PA-31 | Miami Lakes, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |