Cessna 402C accident near Tampa, Florida, September 5, 1983
On September 5, 1983 at about 2:54 pm local time, a Cessna 402C, registered N29PB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tampa, Florida (Tampa International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 9 people were 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
- September 5, 1983 · about 2:54 pm local time
- Place
- Tampa, Florida · Tampa International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402C · all 402Cs on the register
- Registration
- N29PB · no longer on the register · serial 402CO257
- 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
BEFORE LANDING, THE PLT MOVED THE GEAR HANDLE TO THE EXTEND POSITION & ALL 3 GREEN GEAR DOWN LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. HOWEVER, WHEN THE NOSE WAS LOWERED AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE ROD END, PN MS2124254K, ON THE NOSE GEAR ACTUATOR HAD FAILED FROM FATIGUE. THE FAILED PART WAS NOT MANUFACTURED TO MEET THE REQUIRED SPECIFICATION. THE MICROSWITCH FOR THE NOSE GEAR INDICATOR WAS LOCATED ON THE NOSE GEAR ACTUATOR. IT WAS ACTIVATED WHEN THE ACTUATOR EXTENDED TO THE DOWN 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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,197 hours in all; 868 in this make and model; 292 in the last 90 days; 3,110 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,286 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, August 30, 1983; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,850 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-VB (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JAX Jacksonville FL at 1:55 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18L, 8,300 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from TPA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 8 |
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 N29PB 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.