Mitsubishi MU-2B-26A accident near La Verne, California, March 27, 2004
On March 27, 2004 at about 8:16 pm local time, a Mitsubishi MU-2B-26A, registered N81MF, was substantially damaged in an accident near La Verne, California (La Verne airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to adequately compensate for an asymmetrical thrust condition and to maintain directional control during the landing flare. The owner/pilot's failure to comply with the applicable service bulletin concerning propeller/power control rigging was a factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 27, 2004 · about 8:16 pm local time
- Place
- La Verne, California · La Verne · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-26A · all MU-2B-26As on the register
- Registration
- N81MF · registry record · serial 375 SA
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The twin turboprop airplane landed hard collapsing the nose gear, and causing substantial damage to the airframe. The pilot said that about 6-7 miles from the airport, in the terminal descent, he noticed the right engine torque meter read zero. This had occurred before, and the torque would come back if he manipulated the throttle. He continued the normal approach for landing. In the landing flare the airplane yawed right despite his corrective left rudder pedal input. The airplane landed hard, bouncing on the nose twice, breaking the nose wheel strut. It then slid about 2,000 feet down the runway. The ferry pilot, who flew the airplane to the repair facility after the accident, said that the engine power levers were consistently split throughout the entire ferry flight. In order to have the engine power perimeters matched, the right power lever had to be about 2 inches forward of the left one and this positional relationship was constant from flight idle to full power. Maintenance records had no record of compliance to Mitsubishi Service Bulletin No. 097/73-001, which was published "to assure the engine and propeller rigging is adjusted within manufactures specifications and to prevent potential degraded flight handling qualities associated with the flight idle power being set asymmetrically or too low."
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 175 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,107.2 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 26, 2002
- Maximum gross weight: 10,520 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Airesearch TPE331-5 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Airesearch TPE331-5 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KHII Lake Havasu AZ at 7:25 pm
- Destination: KPOC La Verne CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 26, 4,839 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 8:16 pm from KPOC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.