Mitsubishi MU-2B-20 incident near Walterboro, South Carolina, January 16, 2011
On January 16, 2011 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Mitsubishi MU-2B-20, registered N52CD, suffered minor damage in an incident during landing (landing roll) near Walterboro, South Carolina (Lowcounty Regional Airport). It was a personal 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
The inadequate inspection and rigging of the nose landing gear downlock mechanism by maintenance personnel, which resulted in the failure of a bolt and the subsequent collapse of the nose gear during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 16, 2011 · about 8:00 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Walterboro, South Carolina · Lowcounty Regional Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-20 · all MU-2B-20s on the register
- Registration
- N52CD · no longer on the register · serial 174
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported hearing a “pop” sound from the nose gear area when the gear was extended for the landing. Toward the end of the landing roll, the nose gear collapsed. A postaccident examination of the nose gear revealed that the bolt that holds the downlock drag brace joint link to the airframe structure had fractured. A metallurgical examination revealed that the bolt failed in reverse bending fatigue, which is associated with the bolt having insufficient clamping pressure (looseness). The airplane’s last required inspection was about 70 flight hours and 40 gear cycles before the nose gear collapsing, and the nose gear downlock system rigging should have been inspected at that time.
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
- Aircraft inspection event during prior to flight
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Maintenance/inspections › Scheduled maint checks › Inadequate inspection
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Nose/tail landing gear › Failure other cases naming the landing gear
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Maintenance personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,190 hours in all; 425 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 2,150 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,125 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 14, 2010; 71 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,920 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Airesearch TPE331 SERIES (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Airesearch TPE331 SERIES (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EDE Edenton NC at 6:30 pm
- Destination: RBW Watertown SC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 23, 6,002 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 8:00 pm from RBW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on December 19, 2011. 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.
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
- N52CD: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Mitsubishi MU-2 176 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Mitsubishi 198 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Airesearch TPE331 SERIES 491 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: Airesearch TPE331 SERIES 491 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Lowcountry Regional · nearest airport
- Northeastern Regional · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in South Carolina 1,036 since 1982 · 173 in the last ten years
- South Carolina 3,112 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA11IA172.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.