Consolidated-Vultee PBY-5A(28-5ACF) accident near Moreno, California, August 1, 1997
On August 1, 1997 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Consolidated-Vultee PBY-5A(28-5ACF), registered N322FA, was destroyed in an accident near Moreno, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the implosion of the unlocked left nose gear door which resulted in the hydraulic disintegration of the forward fuselage. The cause of the locking pin actuator malfunction was not determined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 1, 1997 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Moreno, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Consolidated-Vultee PBY-5A(28-5ACF) PBY-5A(28-
- Registration
- N322FA · registry record · serial 560
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After touching down to scoop another load of water, the pilot added power and the aircraft pitched forward. The pilot heard a pop and felt a sudden decelerative force. When the nose began to bowsuck, he applied more back pressure but the aircraft did not respond. The floor split open and water began rushing into the cockpit. The left nose gear door locking pin was found separated from its hydraulic actuator. It displayed a bend that corresponded to its retracted position in the pin guide. The deformation prevented investigators from reinserting the damaged pin back through the guide. The left mycarta block remained attached to the door and did not exhibit any damage.
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; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,200 hours in all; 160 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 9,600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17,427 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 30,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R1830-92 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SNA Santa Ana CA at 8:52 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 99°F (37°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:49 pm from SEE, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.