Cessna 414 accident near Phoenix, Arizona, February 15, 1999
On February 15, 1999 at about 6:43 pm local time, a Cessna 414, registered N1557T, was substantially damaged in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona (Phoenix Sky Harbor 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 overload failure of the left main gear locking mechanism due to improper system rigging by maintenance personnel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 15, 1999 · about 6:43 pm local time
- Place
- Phoenix, Arizona · Phoenix Sky Harbor · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 414 · all 414s on the register
- Registration
- N1557T · registry record · serial 414-0272
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot landed on runway 26R with three green landing gear down indicator lights. He said that the airplane seemed to roll normally down the centerline for approximately 200 feet, then the left landing gear collapsed and the airplane subsequently veered off the runway and struck taxiway lights. Postaccident investigation of the airplane revealed that the attachment location of the left main landing gear for the downlock bellcrank was separated and the attachment bolt was sheared. Additionally, there was a significant difference in the downlock tension adjustment of the landing gear components of the left side versus the right side of the airplane. System rigging of the landing gear requires adjustments to the fork bolt and the push-pull tube, which must be made together and in the same amount in opposite directions. The failed components were tested for chemical composition and hardness and all met their material specifications. Metallurgical examination of the parts disclosed that all fractures and bends were a direct result of an overload event. Maintenance records established that a re-rigging was performed on the airplane following the maintenance work on the landing gear system 10 days and 11 flight hours prior to the accident.
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: 1,320 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 1,320 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,363 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 26, 1998; 52 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,350 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-J (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SDL Scottsdale AZ at 6:20 pm
- Destination: PHX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26R, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:56 pm from PHX, 1 miles away
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.