14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, April 05, 2013 in Hammonton, NJ
Probable Cause Approval Date: 02/10/2014
Aircraft: CESSNA 414, registration: N37480
Injuries: 1 Minor, 1 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot reported that, during a repositioning flight, he lowered the landing gear during the approach and confirmed that it was extended by observing the landing gear position indicator lights. Immediately after touchdown, the airplane veered left. The pilot applied full right rudder, but the airplane continued veering left and departed the left side of the runway. The airplane struck several trees and was subsequently engulfed in a postcrash fire. A postaccident examination revealed that the nose landing gear had separated from its mount at the left trunnion. Fractographic examination revealed a pre-existing crack at the surface of the left trunnion lug. Subsequent investigation revealed that the fractured part was a used part recently taken from another airplane that had over 20,000 service hours. The crack at the surface of the trunnion lug could not have been seen during a visual inspection of the trunnion assembly before its installation because such cracks can only be identified by eddy current inspections. Multiengine Service Bulletin MEB88-5 requires the trunnion assembly to be subjected to eddy current inspection and, if cracks are identified during this inspection, the trunnion assembly must be replaced; however, the inspection requirements are not applicable to Part 91 operators.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
A loss of control during landing due to the failure of the nose landing gear's left trunnion lug.
On April 5, 2013, about 1150 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 414, N37480, registered to and operated by a private individual, was substantially damaged when it veered off the runway while landing at Hammonton Municipal Airport (N81), Hammonton, New Jersey. The private pilot was not injured and the commercial pilot-rated passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight. The flight originated from Montgomery County Airpark (GAI), Gaithersburg, Maryland about 1105 and was destined for N81. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The airplane was being repositioned to N81 in order for the owner's insurance adjuster and a local mechanic to physically inspect previous claim work for damage done during ground handling following Hurricane Sandy.
The pilot reported lowering the landing gear during the approach to runway 03, and confirmed that they were extended by observing the landing gear position indicator lights. Immediately after touchdown, the airplane veered to the left. The pilot applied full right rudder, but the airplane continued to veer to the left. After departing the left side of the runway, the airplane struck several trees and was subsequently engulfed in a post-crash fire.
According to FAA records, the pilot held a private certificate, with ratings for airplane single- and multiengine land. His most recent FAA third class medical certificate was issued on January 2, 2013. As of April 5, 2013, the pilot reported a total of 587 total hours of flight experience, of which 120 hours were in the same make and model as the accident airplane.
The seven-seat, twin-engine, low-wing, retractable tricycle-gear airplane was manufactured in 1977 and was equipped with two Continental Motors TSIO-520, 520-hp engines. Review of the airplane's maintenance logbooks revealed that its most recent annual inspection was completed on October 26, 2012. At the time of inspection, the airplane had accumulated 9,335 total hours in service. The number one and two engines accumulated approximately 735 and 157 total hours of operation since overhaul, respectively. The airplane had flown about three hours since the most recent annual inspection.
The 1154 recorded weather observation at Atlantic City International Airport (ACY), Atlantic City, New Jersey, located about 15 miles southeast of the accident site, included wind from 330 degrees at 13 knots, 10 miles visibility, few clouds at 1,600 feet, temperature 11 degrees C, dew point 4 degrees C, and a barometric altimeter setting of 29.83 inches of mercury.
N81 was a non-tower-controlled airport equipped with one asphalt runway, oriented in a 03/21 configuration. The runway was 3,601 feet in length and 75 feet wide. The field elevation for the airport was 65 feet mean sea level.
Examination of the accident site and surrounding area by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed the left wing impacted several 4 to 6 inch-diameter trees prior to separating from the aircraft. The airplane then spun to the left, with fuel from the severed wing splashing on the nose section of the airplane and onto the hot left engine. The fuel ignited and caused substantial damage to the left engine and forward left section of the fuselage.
Post-accident examination also revealed that the nose landing gear (NLG) had separated from its mount at the nose trunnion. Further investigation revealed that the left NLG trunnion lug had sheared from the trunnion assembly. The fractured lug was sent to the manufacturer for fractographic examination. The examination revealed a pre-existing crack at the surface of the NLG trunnion lug. The crack was approximately 0.015 inch deep at the time of final fracture. Subsequent investigation revealed that the fractured component was taken from a Cessna 310 airplane, and had accumulated approximately 20,000 service hours. According to maintenance records, on March 12, 2013, the nose gear attached tunnel and forward bulkhead were repaired as part of the filed insurance claim, and the nose gear trunnion assembly was replaced at this time.
Cessna Multi-engine Service Bulletin MEB88-5 (Revision 2), Nose Gear Trunnion/Replacement, stated the preferred inspection method for the side lug area was a surface eddy current inspection. An alternate fluorescent penetrant inspection may be used for those facilities without eddy current inspection capabilities. However, MEB88-5 was not a federally mandated requirement for all owner/operators to accomplish. Subsequently, the subject trunnion assembly installed on the accident airplane had received only a visual examination prior to installation.
NTSB Identification: ERA13LA191
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Friday, April 05, 2013 in Hammonton, NJ
Aircraft: CESSNA 414, registration: N37480
Injuries: 1 Minor,1 Uninjured.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On April 5, 2013, about 1151 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 414, N37480, was substantially damaged when the airplane veered off the runway while landing at Hammonton Municipal Airport (N81), Hammonton, New Jersey. The private pilot was not injured and the commercial pilot rated passenger received minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight. The flight originated from Montgomery County Airpark (GAI), Gaithersburg, Maryland about 1107, and was destined for N81. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
The pilot reported lowering the landing gear during the approach and confirmed that they were extended by observing the landing gear position indicator lights. Immediately after touchdown, the airplane veered to the left. The pilot applied full right rudder but the airplane continued to veer to the left. After departing the side of the runway the airplane truck several trees and subsequently was engulfed in a postcrash fire.
The airplane was retained for further examination.
The pilot and passenger survived a plane crash this morning at the Hammonton Municipal Airport in Hammonton, New Jersey.
"I'm okay," pilot Luis Terry told NBC10's Ted Greenberg shortly after he'd walked away from the accident.
Terry and his co-pilot were the only people on board the aircraft, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
"Upon landing he was having difficulty keeping the plane on the tarmac," said Lt. Kevin Friel with Hammonton police.
The plane, a 1977 twin-engine Cessna Chancellor, skidded off runway 3, smashed into some trees and caught fire, according to witnesses.
"The plane still had a substantial amount of fuel in the plane and luckily they were able to get out. If their exit of the plane was blocked, it probably would have been a pretty horrific event," Friel said.
Terry was not injured. His co-pilot suffered minor cuts and scrapes on his arm.
The plane left Gaithersburg, Maryland at 11:07 and according to the FAA, arrived in Hammonton at 11:48.
Pictures taken within minutes of the crash showed smoke coming out of the body of the plane and fire under one of the wings.
Terry stood smoking a cigarette outside the main building of the small airport when we questioned him about what caused the accident.
"Mechanical trouble," he said.
The FAA was on site this afternoon questioning Terry and his co-pilot, which is standard procedure.
Terry, who is from Damascus, Maryland, is listed in the FAA database as the owner of the plane.
A preliminary report on the cause of the crash could be issued in a week to ten days.
The Hammonton airport is expected to re-open on Saturday.
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