Cessna 750 incident near Jackson, Wyoming, August 18, 2004
On August 18, 2004 at about 6:14 pm local time, a Cessna 750, registered N961QS, suffered minor damage in an incident near Jackson, Wyoming (Jackson Hole Airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 failure of the right main landing gear trailing link due to fatigue cracking initiated by an undetected manufacturing defect. A contributing factor was the improper plating process by unknown manufacture personnel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 2004 · about 6:14 pm local time
- Place
- Jackson, Wyoming · Jackson Hole Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 750 · all 750s on the register
- Registration
- N961QS · registry record · serial 750-0061
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During landing roll, approximately 10-15 miles per hour, the right main landing gear failed and the airplane came to a stop onto a taxiway. Examination of the airplane revealed the right main landing gear trailing link and wheel assembly separated from the airplane, and a portion of the upper trailing link and axle assembly remained attached to the main trunnion. At the time of the incident, the landing gear assembly had 5,228.5 hours total time, and 3,358 total cycles since new. The trailing link and axle assembly was certified for 44,400 total cycles. Metallurgical examination of the right main landing gear trailing link revealed the failure occurred due to fatigue cracking initiated by an undetected manufacturing defect. The defect was from electrical arcing that produced physical craters on the interior surface of the trailing link and locally changed the microstructure. The craters and changed microstructure served as stress concentrators and would initiate fatigue cracks under the influence of cyclic stresses. Cadmium plating and primer paint covered the defects. The presence of cadmium plating established that the damage had occurred prior to or during the early stages of plating during manufacture.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,756 hours in all; 1,796 in this make and model; 2,870 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,984 hours in all; 984 in this make and model
- Last flight review: April 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,228.5 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, July 17, 2004; 90.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 36,000 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce AE 3007 C (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SJC San Jose CA at 6:00 pm
- Destination: Jackson WY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 19, 6,300 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,500 ft; clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 6:15 pm from JAC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.