Cessna 320 accident near Denton, Texas, September 18, 2010
On September 18, 2010 at about 4:45 pm local time, a Cessna 320, registered N56VP, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Denton, Texas (Denton Municipal 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 push-pull rod.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 2010 · about 4:45 pm local time
- Place
- Denton, Texas · Denton Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 320 · all 320s on the register
- Registration
- N56VP · registry record · serial 320-0036
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During an instructional flight the student pilot performed four uneventful touch-and-go practice takeoffs and landings at one airport and then proceeded to another airport to make a soft-field landing on the grass runway. When the landing gear was extended, the landing gear indicator light did not illuminate. The annunciator lights were checked (press-to-test) and operated normally. He confirmed that the nose landing gear was only partially extended by looking in the convex mirrors mounted in on the engine nacelles. After the pilots cycled the landing gear several times and attempted to perform a manual extension least three times, the certificated flight instructor landed the airplane and the nose gear folded. A postaccident inspection revealed that the push-pull rod that connects the gear transmission to the nose gear had separated, damaging the wing spar and several fuselage ribs.
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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Failure
Pilot
- 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; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 8,022 hours in all; 185 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 8,372 as pilot in command; 629 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 10, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,074 hours in all; 14 in this make and model; 1,924 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 3, 1995
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,219 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 20, 2010; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-470-B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Association Of Orthopedic Services Pa
The flight
- Departed from: GPM Grand Prairie TX at 5:00 pm
- Destination: DTO Denton TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 5,999 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 5:28 pm from DTO
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.
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.