Curtiss Wright P-40E incident near Lincoln, Nebraska, October 24, 2009
On October 24, 2009 at about 3:20 pm local time, a Curtiss Wright P-40E, registered N4420K, suffered minor damage in an incident during landing (landing roll) near Lincoln, Nebraska (Lincoln Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The right landing gear's partial retraction during landing due to paint contamination of the landing gear handle detent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 24, 2009 · about 3:20 pm local time · cases in 2009
- Place
- Lincoln, Nebraska · Lincoln Municipal Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Curtiss Wright P-40E · all P-40Es on the register
- Registration
- N4420K · registry record · serial AK75315134
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Upon touchdown, the World War II era tailwheel-equipped airplane experienced an uncontrollable swerve as the right main landing gear began to collapse. As the right main gear exited the edge of the runway, the airplane rocked forward onto its nose and the propeller and left wing tip impacted the ground. The airplane rocked back and came to rest partially off the runway in an upright and right wing low position. An examination of the landing gear retraction system revealed that the landing gear handle detent was contaminated with paint. Subsequently, the landing gear handle did not stay in the detent which resulted in the right landing gear downlock pin to partially retract followed by the partial retraction of the right main landing gear.
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
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Malfunction other cases naming the landing gear
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,850 hours in all; 140 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 18,850 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 21, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 8,700 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Allison V-1710-39 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Minnesota Airways LLC
The flight
- Departed from: GDB Granite Falls MN at 2:12 pm
- Destination: LNK Lincoln NE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 5,400 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.78 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from LNK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on December 14, 2009. 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 |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N4420K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4420K on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Curtiss Wright P-40 39 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Curtiss Wright 229 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Allison V-1710-39 70 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Lincoln Airport · nearest airport
- Granite Falls Muni/Lenzen-Roe-Fagen Memorial Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Nebraska 763 since 1982 · 108 in the last ten years
- Nebraska 2,951 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N4420K 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN10IA030.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.