Cessna 402B accident near Avalon, California, October 24, 1987
On October 24, 1987, a Cessna 402B, registered N3798C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Avalon, California (Catalina airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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
- October 24, 1987
- Place
- Avalon, California · Catalina · 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
- N3798C · no longer on the register · serial 402B0636
- 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
ON LANDING THE PILOT REPORTED HE HEARD A LOUD BANG AND THE AIRCRAFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT. THE PILOT CORRECTED TO THE LEFTBY APPLYING LEFT BRAKE. THE AIRCRAFT RETURNED TO THE CENTER OF THE RUNWAY; HOWEVER, IT BEGAN TO SKID. THE PILOT REALIZED THAT HE WAS RUNNING OUT OF RUNWAY, DECIDED TO APPLY FULL RIGHT RUDDER AND EXIT THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH A BERM. INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR TIRE HAD BLOWN OUT. NO OTHER MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS/FAILURES WERE FOUND.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,597 hours in all; 136 in this make and model; 83 in the last 90 days; 6,356 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,800 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 27, 1987; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-E (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Eagle Aviation INC
The flight
- Departed from: LGB Long Beach CA at 5:30 pm
- Runway 4, 3,240 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 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.