No fatalities

7 Mar 2014: CESSNA 170B (N2252D) — BURCH LOREN W — San Luis Obispo, CA

San Luis Obispo, CA, United States

On 7 Mar 2014, a CESSNA 170B (registration N2252D) operated by BURCH LOREN W was involved in an aviation accident near San Luis Obispo, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Corrosion of the bulkhead assembly in the left main landing gearbox area, which resulted in the structural failure of the bulkhead and the subsequent landing gear collapse. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

On March 7, 2014, a Cessna 170B experienced left main landing gear collapse during the landing roll at San Luis Obispo, California. The pilot and passenger were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination revealed corrosion in the gearbox area structural bulkhead.

Accident Details

On March 7, 2014, at approximately 1340 Pacific standard time, a Cessna 170B, registration N2252D, experienced a collapse of the left main landing gear during the landing roll at San Luis Obispo, California. The pilot, an airline transport pilot, was operating the aircraft under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The local personal flight had departed about 1300. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The pilot and one passenger were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage.

Pilot Report

According to the pilot, the touchdown was normal. Shortly after touchdown, he heard and felt what he described as similar to driving a car over dummy dots on the road, after which the left main landing gear collapsed.

Investigation

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector retrieved and reviewed video from three surveillance cameras that captured different views of the landing. The inspector assessed that all three videos depicted a normal landing.

Postaccident Examination

The FAA inspector conducted a postaccident examination of the airplane. Using an inspection mirror, the inspector observed into the damaged belly of the fuselage and noted corrosion of the structural bulkhead assembly in the area of the gearbox, where substantial damage occurred.

No determination of probable cause was provided in the source.

Contributing factors

Fatigue/wear/corrosion