Socata TBM-700 accident near Eau Claire, Wisconsin, March 29, 1996
On March 29, 1996 at about 10:33 pm local time, a Socata TBM-700, registered N292RG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Eau Claire, Wisconsin (Chippewa Valley Regional airport). It was a business 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
fatigue fracture and subsequent failure of the gear door hinge bracket.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 29, 1996 · about 10:33 pm local time
- Place
- Eau Claire, Wisconsin · Chippewa Valley Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Socata TBM-700 · all TBM-700s on the register
- Registration
- N292RG · registry record · serial 14
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that an 'unsafe gear door light' was displayed 'shortly after departing.' He recycled the landing gear. The right main landing gear did not extend. He performed several normal and emergency gear extension attempts with no success. He had several telephone patch conversations with the airplane manufacturer and flight safety. The right main landing gear could not be lowered. He orbited to burn down fuel, declared an emergency, and conducted a gear up landing. Examination of the right main landing gear revealed a fatigue fracture in the right inboard landing gear door forward hinge bracket. The door was wedged in the wheel well.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,126 hours in all; 218 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 1,065 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 720 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 29, 1996; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,614 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-64 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RIE Rice Lake WI at 7:00 pm
- Destination: MWC Milwaukee WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 7,311 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.