Meyers Industries INC 200A accident near Marathon, Florida, May 26, 2021
On May 26, 2021 at about 8:55 pm local time, a 1959 Meyers Industries INC 200A, registered N489C, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Marathon, Florida (The Florida Keys Marathon Intl airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 to fully extend during landing as a result of the underinflated right main landing gear oleo strut.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 26, 2021 · about 8:55 pm local time
- Place
- Marathon, Florida · The Florida Keys Marathon Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Meyers Industries INC 200A, built 1959 · all 200As on the register
- Registration
- N489C · no longer on the register · serial 254
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, during final approach the nose and left main landing gear lights were illuminated green. The red “in-transit” light was illuminated for the right main landing gear. He overflew the runway and airport personnel confirmed that the right main landing gear was partially extended. He unsuccessfully attempted to cycle, manually extend, and use g-force maneuvers to extend the right main landing gear. The pilot performed a landing and kept the right wing off the ground as long as he could during the landing since the right main landing gear was partially extended. During the landing rollout, the right wing impacted the runway, the airplane veered to the right and came to rest off the right side of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the right aileron. A post-accident examination of the right main landing gear revealed that the oleo strut was under inflated, therefore, the strut did not extend the wheel properly and could not retract correctly into the right main landing gear wheel well. Then, when the landing gear was extended, the wheel became lodged on the wheel well and could not extend properly. After the airplane was lifted off the runway, the right main landing gear was extended by hand and it locked into place. The most recent annual inspection was performed about 5 months before the accident, and at that time the left main landing gear actuator was serviced. The maintenance entry did not record any service to the right main landing gear.
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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Scheduled/routine maintenance › Maintenance personnel
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main gear strut/axle/truck › Not serviced/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,524 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 58 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 8,146 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 9, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,601 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 11, 2020; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-520A (piston); 1,474 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FD51 Summerland Key FL at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 07/2, 5,008 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,100 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from MTH
Weather report (METAR): KMTH 262053Z AUTO 09010KT 10SM FEW031 29/19 A3012 RMK AO2 SLP200 T02890194 56016
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
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 N489C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA21LA235.