Socata TBM 700 accident near Horseshoe Bay, Texas, September 7, 2012
On September 7, 2012 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Socata TBM 700, registered N850ZM, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Horseshoe Bay, Texas (Horseshoe Bay Resort Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The off-centered right main landing gear ball joint, which resulted in the right main landing gear collapsing during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 7, 2012 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Horseshoe Bay, Texas · Horseshoe Bay Resort Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Socata TBM 700 · all TBM 700s on the register
- Registration
- N850ZM · registry record · serial 556
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, after configuring the airplane for landing, the cockpit indications showed that the landing gear was down and locked. Upon landing, the right main landing gear collapsed, and the airplane subsequently veered off the runway. Postaccident examination of the landing gear revealed that the right main landing gear actuator rod end was separated from the actuator ball joint. No other anomalies were noted. Further examination of the actuator rod and ball joint revealed that the ball joint was not centered or set in its normal position. In April 2013, after several other events involving similar landing gear malfunctions, the manufacturer issued two mandatory service bulletins (SB), which outlined protocols for inspecting the pistons and rods of the landing gear actuators, inspecting the ball joint centering of the landing gear actuators, and measuring the ball joint mismatches. In March 2014, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an airworthiness directive, which required compliance with the manufacturer's SBs and the repair or replacement of affected parts.
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 › Landing gear actuator › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 414 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 6,614 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W Canada PT6A-66 SER (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ABI Abilene TN at 5:30 pm
- Destination: DZB Horseshoe Bay TX
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 17, 5,977 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| 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.