Cessna 402C incident near St. Petersburg, Florida, July 24, 1994
On July 24, 1994 at about 9:48 pm local time, a Cessna 402C, registered N318AB, suffered minor damage in an incident near St. Petersburg, Florida (St Petersburg-Clearwater airport). It was a positioning 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
COLLAPSE OF THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR DURING THE LANDING ROLL FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 1994 · about 9:48 pm local time
- Place
- St. Petersburg, Florida · St Petersburg-Clearwater
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 402C · all 402Cs on the register
- Registration
- N318AB · no longer on the register · serial 402C0318
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TOUCHDOWN DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. THE ACTUATOR AND MICROSWITCH WERE TESTED AND NO FAILURE WAS NOTED WITH EITHER COMPONENT. SEVERAL DISCREPANCIES WERE NOTED WITH THE ACTUATOR. THE SERIAL NUMBER OF THE ACTUATOR COULD NOT BE POSITIVELY DETERMINED. THE ACTUATOR WAS BELIEVED TO BE OVERHAULED IN JULY 1992 AND INSTALLED ON THE AIRPLANE 1 MONTH LATER. NO DETERMINATION COULD BE MADE AS TO THE REASON FOR THE COLLAPSE OF THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,800 hours in all; 4,500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,816 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, July 9, 1994; 46 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,210 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-VB (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Sunshine, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SRQ Sarasota FL at 9:35 pm
- Runway 35R, 8,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from PIE, 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.
Other NTSB records under N318AB 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.