Cessna 402C N522FA

Summary

On 11 December 2008 at about 18:11 local time, a Cessna 402C registered N522FA, operated by Friendship Airways, Inc., was involved in an incident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 December 2008 at 18:11

Classification

Incident

Location

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood Int (FLL)

Coordinates

26.0725, -80.1528

Aircraft

Cessna 402C

Registration

N522FA

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Friendship Airways, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pahokee → Fort Lauderdale

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA09IA115

Nobody was injured.

The airplane manufacturer's inadequate inspection procedure resulting in undetected fatigue cracking of the main landing gear barrel of the upper barrel and trunnion assembly.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During landing an undetected fatigue crack in the barrel of the left main landing gear upper barrel and trunnion assembly, which penetrated to approximately 70 percent of the wall thickness, resulted in complete fracture of the upper barrel and subsequent separation of left main gear assembly. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and came to rest on the grass. The fatigue origin was on the outer diameter surface, and propagated radially inward with little or no circumferential propagation. The fracture was located in a transition zone of the barrel where the radius did not meet the specification. Additionally, measurements of the inside and outside diameters of the barrel revealed out of tolerance dimensions. The barrel material, heat treatment, and hardness were consistent with the specifications for the part, while the surface finish was less than the specified value. An area of the barrel immediately beneath the fracture surface exhibited smooth areas with corrosion pits. Moderate corrosion was also noted at the upper edge of the side brace collar following paint removal by chemical and mechanical means. The only inspection of the barrel specified by the airplane manufacture is a visual inspection checking for corrosion, pitting, and cleanliness. No other inspection requirements are stipulated for the fracture area of the upper barrel and trunnion assembly. The last visual inspection was performed approximately 58 flight hours before the incident. The Safety Board has investigated 2 previous accidents in which the upper barrel and trunnion assembly fractured. In both previous cases, the barrel fractured above the side brace collar.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.