Cessna 195 accident near Long Beach, California, January 16, 1998
On January 16, 1998 at about 11:25 pm local time, a Cessna 195, registered N4498C, was substantially damaged in an accident near Long Beach, California (Long Beach 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 failure to maintain directional control during the landing, which led to a ground loop and a resultant overload failure of the right main landing gear attach points.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 16, 1998 · about 11:25 pm local time
- Place
- Long Beach, California · Long Beach · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 195 · all 195s on the register
- Registration
- N4498C · registry record · serial 16082
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he landed on runway 30 and suddenly felt a 'bump.' The pilot further reported that at that time the aircraft began an uncommanded yaw to the left and he noted that the right main landing gear had separated from the aircraft. The aircraft came to rest on its side. An immediate inspection of the accident site yielded no sign of debris or potholes on the runway surface. An on-site examination of the aircraft found that the bolt which attached the landing gear spring to the fuselage had been bent, fractured, and distorted at an approximate 45-degree angle, and the support assembly had also been fractured. The bolt and a portion of the separated support assembly from the right main landing gear were sent to the Safety Board Materials Laboratory for testing. Details of the examination showed that the fracture surface on the bolt revealed no evidence of progressive cracking or preexisting defects. All fracture features and deformation on the bolt pieces were consistent with an overstress under bending/tension loading conditions. Examination of the bracket for the support assembly was conducted with the aid of a binocular microscope and disclosed the fracture features typical of a direct shear overstress separation.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,759 hours in all; 2,300 in this make and model; 29 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 3,650 as pilot in command; 199 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,900 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 1997; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,300 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jacobs R755-B2 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PTV Porterville CA at 10:20 pm
- Destination: LGB
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 30, 10,000 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:42 pm from LGB
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.
Other NTSB records under N4498C the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.