Cessna 421B accident near Miami, Florida, June 3, 1987
On June 3, 1987 at about 10:29 pm local time, a Cessna 421B, registered N137JR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Miami, Florida (Tamiami airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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
- June 3, 1987 · about 10:29 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · Tamiami · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 421B · all 421Bs on the register
- Registration
- N137JR · no longer on the register · serial 421B0245
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE LANDING ROLL THE LT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. THE ACFT THEN SLID TO A STOP. INSP OF THE LT LANDING GEAR REVEALED THAT THE UPPER & LOWER TORQUE LINKS WHICH MAINTAINS PARALLEL ALIGNMENT OF THE TIRE TO THE FUSELAGE SEPARATED. THIS OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE LOWER TORQUE LINK BEING PULLED OVER THE OUTER WASHER, NUT AND COTTER KEY, WHICH, ALONG WITH A BOLT, SECURES THE UPPER TORQUE LINK TO THE LOWER. THE TIRE THEN TURNED SIDEWAYS PERPENDICULAR TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL AFTER WHICH THE ENTIRE GEAR ASSEMBLY THEN COLLAPSED REARWARD. EXAMINATION OF THE FAILED WASHER REVEALED THAT CESSNA SERVICE INFORMATION LETTER ME83-37 WHICH RECOMMENDS REPLACEMENT OF THE TWO OUTER WASHERS WITH LARGER ONES, ON THE MAIN LANDING GEAR SCISSOR ASSY (TORQUE LINKS) HAD NOT BEEN COMPLIED WITH.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 250 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,661 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 3, 1986; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,450 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental GTSI0-520-L (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TPA Tampa FL at 9:18 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9R, 4,999 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 1,900 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from MIA, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.