Atr 42 incident near Traverse City, Michigan, April 3, 1996
On April 3, 1996 at about 6:38 pm local time, a Atr 42, registered N421MQ, suffered minor damage in an incident near Traverse City, Michigan (Cherry Capital airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 36 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
improper use of procedures by maintenance personnel at an overhaul facility during overhaul of the landing gear, allowing corrosion to occur on the barrel lugs of the landing gear, which subsequently led to fatigue cracking of the lugs and eventual collapse of the gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 3, 1996 · about 6:38 pm local time
- Place
- Traverse City, Michigan · Cherry Capital · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 36 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Atr 42
- Registration
- N421MQ · registry record · serial 014
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During landing rollout, the left main landing gear collapsed, and the aircraft skidded to a stop. Examination of the landing gear revealed that the barrel lugs (used to attach the swinging lever to the main landing gear barrel) had failed. The fracture of the outboard lower lug exhibited clam shell marks typical of a fatigue crack. The fatigue crack emanated from a corrosion pit in the bore of the lug. The four bushings for the lower lugs of the barrel (replaced during overhaul) did not have the proper interference fit. The bushings did not have the proper applications of corrosion preventative applied to the surface of the bushings. Primer paint had not been applied during overhaul, and Mastinox was used instead of the wet primer that the manufacturer's procedures specified. During the course of the investigation, nine landing gears (with various numbers of total cycles since overhaul or manufacture) were inspected. The inspections revealed torn or missing rubber sealant used on bushing flanges, corrosion in the lug bores, and corrosion on the lug faces.
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: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 14,000 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 12,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 18,976 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, May 11, 1996; 174 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 36,870 lb
- Seats: 49
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW120 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORD Chicago IL at 5:39 pm
- Destination: TVC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36, 5,107 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:40 pm from TVC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 33 |
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 N421MQ 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.