On July 7, 2005, a Cessna 421B (registration N318RF) was involved in an aviation accident near Medina, OH. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The collapse of the left main landing gear due to overload, with no evidence of fatigue. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
The aircraft sustained significant damage after its left main landing gear collapsed immediately upon touchdown on a short runway, causing it to veer off into a ditch.
What happened
The airplane touched down on an asphalt runway measuring 3,556 feet in length and 75 feet in width. Immediately following touchdown, the left main landing gear collapsed. This failure caused the aircraft to veer sharply to the left and come to rest in a ditch adjacent to the runway.
The investigation
Recovery teams located a piece of the left main landing gear upper trunnion assembly near the point where the aircraft had landed. A metallurgical examination was conducted on this recovered component to determine the nature of the failure.
Findings
Analysis of the fracture face on the trunnion assembly revealed evidence of overload. The examination noted no signs of fatigue, indicating a sudden structural failure rather than a progressive wear process.
Probable cause
The collapse of the left main landing gear due to overload, with no evidence of fatigue.