Accident Overview
On June 18, 2022, at approximately 1730 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 414, registration N414HF, was substantially damaged during a landing accident near Jasper, Georgia. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Landing and Collapse
The pilot reported that after touchdown on runway 34, the left main landing gear collapsed. The airplane subsequently skidded to the left, departed the runway surface, and struck a taxiway sign. The pilot stated that he had received "3 green" landing gear indications before touchdown and described the landing as "smooth and straight."
Post-Accident Examination
An inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) examined the wreckage at the accident site. The left wing sustained substantial damage to the lower structure, the landing gear was collapsed, and the left main landing gear torque tube was fractured. After recovery, maintenance personnel removed the fractured torque tube and forwarded it to the National Transportation Safety Board Materials Laboratory for further analysis.
Torque Tube Fatigue Analysis
Laboratory examination revealed multiple fatigue cracks near the weld between the boss arm and the tube body. The fatigue cracks propagated inward from both the outer and inner surfaces, a pattern consistent with reverse bending at that location. The cracks originated from multiple initiation sites.
Service Bulletin History
Cessna Multi-engine Service Bulletin (SB) MEB09-2, dated May 11, 2009, addressed main landing gear torque tube failure. The bulletin stated that noncompliance could result in fatigue failure of the torque tube and required replacement at 4,000 hours of time in service. According to the aircraft owner, the airplane total time at the time of the accident was 5,000 hours, and the torque tube was original to the airplane. This service bulletin was not incorporated into an FAA Airworthiness Directive. An FAA fact sheet on service bulletins indicates that for operations under 14 CFR Part 91, compliance with service bulletins is advisory unless mandated by an Airworthiness Directive.