Cessna 402B incident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 16, 2012
On February 16, 2012 at about 8:09 pm local time, a Cessna 402B, registered N402GZ, suffered minor damage in an incident during landing (landing roll) near Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Fort Lauderale/Hollywood Intl 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 overload fracture of the right main landing gear bellcrank and a securing bolt, which resulted in the collapse of the right main landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 16, 2012 · about 8:09 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida · Fort Lauderale/Hollywood Intl · 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
- Cessna 402B · all 402Bs on the register
- Registration
- N402GZ · not in the FAA's current or past register files · serial 402B0314
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After takeoff, the pilot proceeded toward a nearby airport, but he elected to return to the departure airport because he was unable to establish two-way communications with the air traffic control facility at the destination airport. The pilot extended the landing gear normally and noted three green lights indicating the landing gear was down and locked. After a normal touchdown while applying the brakes, the right wing slowly lowered. Postincident examination of the airplane revealed that the right bellcrank assembly and the bolt that secures the assembly to the landing gear trunnion were fractured. Examination of the fractured parts revealed features consistent with overload separation and no evidence of preexisting cracks or corrosion. The reason for the overload separation was not determined.
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
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Capability exceeded other cases naming the landing gear
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 8,000 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 19,500 as pilot in command; 300 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 1, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Crew member
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,580 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cont Motor TSIO-520 SER (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cont Motor TSIO-520 SER (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FLL Fort Lauderdale FL at 7:49 pm
- Destination: FLL Fort Lauderdale FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09R, 5,276 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,700 ft; scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from FLL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on October 9, 2012. 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Materials Laboratory 15 - Factual Report 12-051 (2 Images) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Weather Reports and Records | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Excerpts from Illustrated Parts Catalog | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 1: Digital Photograph Provided by FAA. View Depicting the Fractured Bellcrank of the Right Main Landing Gear | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Photo 2: Digital Photograph Provided by FAA. View Depicting the Fractured Bolt Sections | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
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
- Cessna 402 174 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Cessna 72,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Cont Motor TSIO-520 SER 4,110 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: Cont Motor TSIO-520 SER 4,110 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 984 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,709 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA12IA187.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.