Cessna 402C incident near Marathon, Florida, December 31, 1990
On December 31, 1990 at about 6:35 pm local time, a Cessna 402C, registered N155PB, suffered minor damage in an incident near Marathon, Florida (Marathon airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FATIGUE FAILURE OF A NOSE LANDING GEAR DRAG BRACE ASSEMBLY WHICH CAUSED THE NOSE LANDING GEAR TO COLLAPSE DURING THE LANDING ROLL. CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS AN INADEQUATE INSPECTION OF THE AIRPLANE APPROXIMATELY 7 HOURS EARLIER BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 31, 1990 · about 6:35 pm local time
- Place
- Marathon, Florida · Marathon · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402C · all 402Cs on the register
- Registration
- N155PB · no longer on the register · serial 402c0009
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE NOSE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. EXAM OF THE NOSE LANDING GEAR REVEALED THAT THE NOSE LANDING GEAR DRAG BRACE ASSY FAILED DUE TO FATIGUE. THE LANDING GEAR WAS INSPECTED APRX 7 HOURS EARLIER. THE TOTAL TIME & CYCLES OF THE FAILED COMPONENT IS UNK.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,400 hours in all; 1,400 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,956 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 29, 1990; 7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,850 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520VB (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Airways International INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MIA Miami FL at 5:50 pm
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 7, 5,008 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from MTH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.