On April 23, 2003, a Cessna 340A (registration N100UW) was involved in an aviation accident near Boulder City, NV. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: the airport committee members failure to repair or mark the faulty telephone junction box cover as a hazard. A factor in the accident was the inadequate notification process of the airport and city personnel. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
An airplane's nose landing gear collapsed after the left main gear penetrated an unmarked, cracked telephone junction box on a taxiway. The aircraft veered left after the penetration.
Incident Details
The nose landing gear of an airplane collapsed during taxi after the left main gear penetrated an unmarked and cracked telephone junction box located on the taxiway. The airplane was traveling along the taxiway centerline when the left main gear broke through the junction box cover, causing the aircraft to veer sharply to the left.
Prior Observations
The day before the incident, two members of an airport advisory committee noticed the cracked cover of the telephone junction box. They left a telephone message for the city electrician regarding the damage but did not mark the area as unsafe for taxi operations. The part-time airport manager stated that he had not been contacted about the cracked cover prior to the accident. The city electrician, who had been on vacation at the time of the incident, also stated that he had not been contacted about the issue.