Amateur-built 173/RG-XL accident near Modesto, California, July 11, 2006
On July 11, 2006 at about 6:33 pm local time, a amateur-built 173/RG-XL, registered N992PC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Modesto, California (Modesto City 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 pilot's misjudged flare and improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in a hard landing and landing gear collapse. A contributing factor was the pilot/builder's inadequate adjustment of the landing gear cable tension.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 2006 · about 6:33 pm local time
- Place
- Modesto, California · Modesto City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built 173/RG-XL
- Registration
- N992PC · registry record · serial 3RX045
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The landing gear collapsed during a touch-and-go landing. The pilot/builder explained that the airplane ballooned after initial touchdown due to too much elevator trim. The airplane then landed "very hard" farther down the runway. The landing gear collapsed, and the rudders sustained substantial damage after contacting the runway. The pilot/builder conducted maintenance on his airplane, and believed that he had set the landing gear extension/retraction cables too tight. Coupled with the hard landing, this caused the main gear over-center linkage to release from the over-center 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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,140 hours in all; 89 in this make and model; 7 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 1,039 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 89 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2005; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MOD Modesto CA at 6:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28L, 3,459 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from MOD
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.
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 LAX06LA229.