Cessna 402 accident near Richland, Virginia, December 26, 1990
On December 26, 1990 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Cessna 402, registered N8138F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Richland, Virginia (Richlands airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR SCISSOR ASSEMBLY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 26, 1990 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Richland, Virginia · Richlands · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402 · all 402s on the register
- Registration
- N8138F · no longer on the register · serial 4020232
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT THE APPROACH AND LANDING WERE NORMAL. SHORTLY AFTER BRAKE APPLICATION, THE PILOT FELT A STRONG VIBRATION AND THE AIRPLANE VEERED TO THE LEFT. THE AIRPLANE SKIDDED OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND DOWN AN EMBANKMENT BEFORE IT CAME TO A STOP IN A SMALL RIVER. POST- ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR SCISSOR ASSEMBLY FAILED. THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN FLOWN 8 HOURS SINCE ITS MOST RECENT 100 HOUR INSPECTION.
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; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,727 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 132 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days; 6,801 as pilot in command; 1,711 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,727 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 30, 1990; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Kci Enterprise INC
The flight
- Departed from: CKB Clarksburg WV at 1:45 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 26, 3,435 ft by 41 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.