Cessna 401B accident near Rice Lake, Wisconsin, November 27, 1992
On November 27, 1992 at about 11:15 am local time, a Cessna 401B, registered N7989Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rice Lake, Wisconsin (Rice Lake airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
IMPROPER RIGGING OF THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR RETRACT BELLCRANK BY OTHER MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 27, 1992 · about 11:15 am local time
- Place
- Rice Lake, Wisconsin · Rice Lake · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 401B · all 401Bs on the register
- Registration
- N7989Q · registry record · serial 401B0208
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT OF AN ON-DEMAND AIR FREIGHT OPERATION WAS ON LANDING ROLLOUT AT HIS DESTINATION WHEN THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR RETRACT BELLCRANK ATTACHING BOLT HAD FAILED.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,000 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 3,950 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,840 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 23, 1992; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TISO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Freight Runners Express, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: EAU Eau Claire WI at 11:00 am
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 36, 3,728 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.