Beechcraft 99 N499CZ
14 October 2020 · Waterville, Maine, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 14 October 2020 at about 12:20 local time, a Beechcraft 99 registered N499CZ, operated by Freight Runners, was involved in an accident near Waterville, Maine, United States. One person was 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.
The record
- Date
- at 12:20
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Waterville, Maine, United States
- Nearest airport
- Waterville Robert LaFleur Airp (WVL)
- Coordinates
- 44.5315, -69.6769
- Aircraft
- Beechcraft 99
- Registration
- N499CZ
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1969
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Freight Runners
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Manchester → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA21LA021
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
A failure of the right main landing gear drag leg support fitting and angle bracket as a result of multiple areas of fatigue cracking.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
While taxiing to the ramp, the airplane’s right main landing gear collapsed, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing. Examination of the right main landing gear drag leg support fitting and angle bracket revealed several areas of fatigue cracking with multiple origins. The attach angle bracket fracture exhibited features consistent with fatigue. The reason for the crack initiation could not be determined. A review of the maintenance procedures performed on the right main landing gear 8 days prior to the accident found that they instructed the mechanic to add grease to the drag leg fitting. The procedures did not specify to examine the landing gear for fatigue cracking or anomalies; therefore, it is unlikely that the mechanic would have looked in the area of the cracked main landing gear drag leg support fitting and angle bracket. Furthermore, there was no nondestructive testing procedures for examining the main landing gear drag brace, so it’s unlikely an inspection would have detected the multiple areas of fatigue cracking.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Beechcraft 99 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Mar 2018 | Beechcraft 99 | King Salmon, Alaska, United States | Lake Clark Air Inc | No injuries | - |
| 19 Jan 2017 | Beechcraft 99 | Billings, Montana, United States | Alpine Aviation Inc | No injuries | - |
| 25 Aug 2023 | Beechcraft 99 | Black Point, Bahamas | Flamingo Air Ltd | Unknown | - |
| 24 Apr 2017 | Beechcraft 99 | Waukesha, Wisconsin, United States | Freight Runners Express Inc | No injuries | - |
| 2 Mar 2016 | Beechcraft 99 | Rockland, Maine, United States | Wiggins Airways INC | No injuries | - |
| 1 Feb 2012 | Beechcraft 99 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | Lake Clark Air Inc | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Jul 2020 | Cessna 172 | Auburn, Maine, United States | L-A Pilots Club Llc | No injuries | - |
| 18 Jul 2020 | Piper PA 12 | Linconville, Maine, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Dec 2020 | Cessna 172 | Dexter, Maine, United States | Dexter Aero Club | No injuries | - |
| 5 Aug 2020 | Piper PA28 | St. Agatha, Maine, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 17 Aug 2020 | Cessna 150 | Surry, Maine, United States | Benjamin Enterprises Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 10 May 2021 | Douglas K Thompson JUSTAIRCRAFT SUPERST | Brunswick, Maine, United States | - | No injuries | - |