Cessna 560XL incident near Savannah, Georgia, November 25, 2003
On November 25, 2003 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Cessna 560XL, registered N632QS, suffered minor damage in an incident near Savannah, Georgia (Savannah International airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The malfunction of the nose wheel gear for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 25, 2003 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Savannah, Georgia · Savannah International · map
- Type
- Incident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 560XL · all 560XLs on the register
- Registration
- N632QS · registry record · serial 560-5132
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the captain, yhe flight was uneventful until the flight was on final approach to land on runway 21 at the destination airport. After completing the landing checklist the captain observed the main landing gear position indicator lights were illuminated indicating that the main landing gear was down and locked. The nose gear position indicator light was illuminated indicating that the nose gear was unlocked, and the hydraulic system was still operating. The captain aborted the approach, and executed a go-around. During the go-around the hydraulic caution lights illuminated. The captain contacted the Beaufort approach to advise them of the situation. The captain then requested to fly by the Beaufort control tower to visually confirm the nose landing gear position. The control tower confirmed the main landing gear was extended and the nose gear was retracted. The captain declared an emergency, and was given radar vectors, and diverted to Savannah International Airport, where an emergency landing on runway 9 was performed. Post-examination of the airplane revealed, the nose wheel doors were scraped and the nose wheel tire was blown. The pilot did not report any flight control malfunctions. A total of eighteen laboratory physical tests, a kinematic study, several general inspections, and a conformity check were conducted in an effort to duplicate the condition that occurred on 560-5132. Seven tests were preformed on a nose gear assembly from a Cessna test article. Eleven tests were performed on the nose ear assembly from 560-5132, including leak tests and service procedure tests. During the laboratory environment test the field failure could not be duplicated.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,620 hours in all; 913 in this make and model; 86 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,372 hours in all; 236 in this make and model; 128 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,982 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 11,310 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney 545 A (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PWK Chicago/Prospec IL at 7:18 pm
- Destination: SAV Savannah GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9, 9,351 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from SAV
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ATL04IA048.