Cessna 402 accident near Boise, Idaho, July 22, 2019
On July 22, 2019 at about 5:47 pm local time, a 1973 Cessna 402, registered N7947Q, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Boise, Idaho (Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field). It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A ductile overstress fracture failure of the right main landing gear bell crank assembly pivot bolt, which resulted in a collapse of the right main landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 2019 · about 5:47 pm local time
- Place
- Boise, Idaho · Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402, built 1973 · all 402s on the register
- Registration
- N7947Q · no longer on the register · serial 402B0397
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during the landing approach, he selected the landing gear selector switch to the down position, which was followed by "three greens," indicating that the landing gear was down, locked, and safe for landing. He noted that all three occupants verified and verbally confirmed that the landing gear was "down and locked." The airplane landed uneventfully, but as the pilot started a left turn onto the taxiway, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the right wing struck the ground, sustaining substantial damage. A postaccident examination of the landing gear system revealed that the right main landing gear assembly bell crank pivot bolt had sheared and displayed features consistent with a ductile overstress fracture from shear loading.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear attach sec › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,300 hours in all; 6,800 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 8,300 as pilot in command; 500 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 21, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot (unmanned)
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,790 hours in all; 1,260 in this make and model; 102 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 5,712 as pilot in command; 40 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 3, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 24,024 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, July 18, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 6,301 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental TSIO-520-EB (piston); 5,613 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental TSIO-520-EB (piston); 7,083 hours total
- Operator: Western Airlines Lc
The flight
- Departed from: BOI Boise ID at 4:10 pm
- Destination: BOI Boise ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10L, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 5:53 pm from BOI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on February 2, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Cessna 402 Illustrated Parts Catalogue - Excerpt | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Textron Aviation Air Safety Investigations Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N7947Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.