Cessna 550 accident near Mcgregor, Texas, September 27, 2022
On September 27, 2022 at about 8:15 pm local time, a 1987 Cessna 550, registered N409ST, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Mcgregor, Texas (Mcgregor Executive Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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
The flight crew’s failure to ensure the landing gear was down which resulted in a gear up landing and subsequent runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 2022 · about 8:15 pm local time · cases in 2022
- Place
- Mcgregor, Texas · Mcgregor Executive Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 550, built 1987 · all 550s on the register
- Registration
- N409ST · no longer on the register · serial 550-0559
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The captain reported that the airplane was on a stabilized approach when, just before the airplane touched down, he heard a horn activate. He did not realize that the landing gear was not fully down until the nose landing gear touched down and he heard metal grinding. The airplane veered off the right side of the runway and came to rest about 20 ft from the edge. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the bottom of the fuselage. The captain’s recollection of the landing gear selection was “fuzzy” following the accident. A postaccident functional test of the landing gear system showed normal extension and retraction. No other preaccident failures or malfunctions were noted with the airplane or systems that would have precluded normal operations. The lack of anomalies indicated that the flight crew failed to ensure the landing gear was down before landing.
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
- Runway excursion during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Flight crew
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Not used/operated other cases naming the landing gear
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 380 in this make and model; 140 in the last 90 days; 44 in the last 30 days; 3,300 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 10, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 788 hours in all; 188 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 487 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 23, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,012.7 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 10, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 14,500 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ADS Addison TX at 7:45 pm
- Destination: PWG Mcgregor TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17, 5,501 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from KPWG, 5 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KPWG 271956Z AUTO VRB04G14KT 10SM CLR 32/03 A3012
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 6 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – Accident Airplane, Right Side View. Photo from the McGregor Executive Airport
Photo 2 – Accident Airplane, Left Side View. Photo from the McGregor Executive Airport
Photo 3 – Bottom Fuselage Damage. Photo from the Federal Aviation Administration
Photo 4 – Bottom Fuselage Damage, Detail 1. Photo from the Federal Aviation Administration
Photo 5 – Bottom Fuselage Damage, Detail 2. Photo from the Federal Aviation Administration
Photo 6 – Runway Marks. Photo from the Federal Aviation AdministrationThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on October 20, 2023. 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, 12 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for the Record Landing Gear Functionality Findings CEN22LA434 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 6 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N409ST: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cessna 550 Citation II 501 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,685 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4 357 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-4 357 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- MC Gregor Executive · nearest airport
- Addison Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,064 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,958 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN22LA434.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.