Cessna 401 N3239Q

Summary

On 4 September 1998 at about 23:30 local time, a Cessna 401 registered N3239Q was involved in an accident near Lancaster, Texas, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 September 1998 at 23:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Lancaster, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Lancaster Municipal (LNC)

Coordinates

32.6193, -96.7794

Aircraft

Cessna 401

Registration

N3239Q

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW98LA389

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadvertent retraction of the landing gear while intending to retract the flaps. A factor was the pilots lack of total experience in the type of aircraft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was in the local landing pattern doing touch and go landings. After touchdown during the third landing, he added power for takeoff and intended to 'raise' the 'flap' lever. He inadvertently raised the landing gear lever. Subsequently, the right main landing gear collapsed and the aircraft skidded off the runway. The pilot had been flying a Beech Bonanza previously, and the landing gear lever on the Cessna 401 is located where the flap lever is on the Bonanza. He had a total of 697 hours of flight time, 676 of which were flown in the Bonanza, and a total of 16 hours in the Cessna 401. In the last 90 days prior to the accident he had a total of 2 hours of flight time, which were flown in the Bonanza.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.