Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecna P92 ECHO SUPER accident near Baytown, Texas, March 7, 2010
On March 7, 2010 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecna P92 ECHO SUPER, registered N323BR, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Baytown, Texas (Rwj Airpark airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the landing gear bolts.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 7, 2010 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Baytown, Texas · Rwj Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecna P92 ECHO SUPER · all P92 ECHO SUPERs on the register
- Registration
- N323BR · no longer on the register · serial 986
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated flight instructor and student pilot planned on performing a full-stop landing on the runway. After making a normal touchdown, and as the airplane slowed down, the right-main gear collapsed. The right wing impacted the runway and the light-sport airplane sustained structural damage. A postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed that the three bolts attaching the right-main landing gear had failed. The bolts were sent to the Safety Board Materials Laboratory for examination. The examination noted that the two outboard bolts both had crack arrest markings, consistent with fatigue cracking from multiple origins. The third bolt (inboard) had signatures of necking and bending of the grip diameter and fracture characteristics consistent with an overstress separation. Prior to the accident, the airplane manufacturer had issued two service bulletins to address concerns with the proper torque on the landing gear bolts and replacement of the bolts. A review of the accident airplane maintenance records showed that the proper torque inspection service bulletin had been complied with; however, the replacement of the landing gear bolts with stronger bolts (service bulletin) was not applicable to this light-sport airplane.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing (landing roll)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › (general) › Failure
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,282 hours in all; 92 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days; 1,013 as pilot in command; 808 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 7, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 71 hours in all; 63 in this make and model
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 990 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 16, 2009
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KEFD Ellington Field TX at 6:30 pm
- Destination: KEFD Ellington Field TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 08, 5,035 ft by 40 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 13 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,500 ft; scat at 700 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from KEFD, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N323BR 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.