No fatalities

29 Sep 2017: Cessna 414 — San Jose, CA

San Jose, CA, United States

On 29 Sep 2017, a Cessna 414 Undesignat was involved in an aviation accident near San Jose, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s failure to maintain a proper descent rate, which resulted in a hard landing. 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

A pilot executed a hard landing on runway 30 right after observing traffic on the parallel runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing false spar and trunnion, discovered during a subsequent annual inspection.

Report Details

The pilot reported being cleared to land on runway 30 right. During the base turn, he observed a large airplane on final approach for runway 30 left. Despite the traffic, the pilot continued the approach. The flare was normal, but the landing was hard. After landing, the pilot noted that the airplane "seemed ok" and taxied to parking before shutting down.

Inspection and Damage

The following week, the airplane underwent an annual inspection. During this inspection, the left wing false spar and trunnion were found to require replacement. The airplane sustained substantial damage to these components. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Contributing factors

PilotDescent rate — Not attained/maintained