Cessna 402B accident near El Paso, Texas, March 30, 1984
On March 30, 1984 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Cessna 402B, registered N5039Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near El Paso, Texas (El Paso Intl. airport). It was a ferry 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 30, 1984 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- El Paso, Texas · El Paso Intl. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402B · all 402Bs on the register
- Registration
- N5039Q · no longer on the register · serial 402B0346
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING GEAR EXTENSION IN PREPARATION FOR LANDING THE NOSE GEAR FAILED TO EXTEND FULLY EVEN THOUGH EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION PROCEEDURES WERE PERFORMED. THE PLT STEERED THE ACFT OFF TO THE RIGHT OF THE RWY SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHDOWN. ACFTINSPECTION REVEALED A COLLAPSED NOSE GEAR STRUT WITH THE NOSE GEAR JAMMED IN THE RETRACT POSITION.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,940 hours in all; 232 in this make and model; 251 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 1,870 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,950 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 28, 1984; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ROW Roswell NM at 5:45 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 26R, 5,600 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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.