Amateur-built SD3-60 incident near St. Thomas, February 18, 1995
On February 18, 1995 at about 8:06 pm local time, a amateur-built SD3-60, registered N376MQ, suffered minor damage in an incident near St. Thomas (Ciryl E. King Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 36 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Inadequate application of sealant on the right main landing gear shock absorber cylinder nut, and inadequate quality control by the manufacturer.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 18, 1995 · about 8:06 pm local time
- Place
- St. Thomas · Ciryl E. King Airport
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 36 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built SD3-60
- Registration
- N376MQ · no longer on the register · serial SD3-60-200
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The right main landing gear collapsed on landing rollout. Initial examination of the airplane by the FAA revealed the right main landing gear shock absorber had failed. Examination of the components by the NTSB laboratory revealed the manufacturer had not applied sealant on the internal surface of the cylinder nut in the radius area between the threads and the flange before the nut was assembled. This resulted in stress corrosion cracking of the cylinder nut, and subsequent 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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,229 hours in all; 223 in this make and model; 223 in the last 90 days; 69 in the last 30 days; 604 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 1, 1995; 81 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 26,453 lb
- Seats: 36
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-65AR (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Executive Airlines INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SJU San Juan PR at 7:15 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 10, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:47 pm from STT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 33 |
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 N376MQ 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.