Cessna 320D accident near Greybull, Wyoming, May 1, 1998
On May 1, 1998 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Cessna 320D, registered N3316Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Greybull, Wyoming (South Big Horn County airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Stress overload failure of the bellcrank assembly of the left landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 1, 1998 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Greybull, Wyoming · South Big Horn County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 320D · all 320Ds on the register
- Registration
- N3316Q · registry record · serial 320D-0116
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After landing, the pilot turned the airplane around and back taxied towards the ramp. As he exited the runway, the left landing gear collapsed. Postaccident inspection revealed that the left landing gear bellcrank assembly sustained a stress overload, causing the assembly to break and shear both assembly bolts. The gear retract arm was also found broken. When the gear collapsed, the left wing and left horizontal stabilizer struck the ground and were substantially damaged.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,508 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 159 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,536 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 26, 1998; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,200 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-ECBB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EVW Evanston WY at 1:45 pm
- Destination: GEY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 33, 6,300 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.