Raytheon 400A incident near Teterboro, New Jersey, July 19, 2001
On July 19, 2001 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Raytheon 400A, registered N3337J, was involved in an incident near Teterboro, New Jersey (Teterboro airport). It was a positioning 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 right aft rudder cable being installed over a cable guide by maintenance personnel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 19, 2001 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Teterboro, New Jersey · Teterboro · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Raytheon 400A
- Registration
- N3337J · registry record · serial RK-159
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was approximately 10 miles west of the airport at 4,000 feet msl, and indicating 220 knots of airspeed, when the captain felt an abnormal yaw input. At first, he thought the yaw dampener had failed. He selected the dampener to "OFF," but did not regain normal rudder control. The captained continued the approach, and landed uneventfully. An inspection by maintenance personnel revealed that the right aft rudder cable had separated. The cable was change 50.6 hours before the incident. The incident rudder cable met its original design specifications, and had separated in overload created by a bend or kink in the cable. Examination of the cable guide revealed a shiny wear pattern with no scrapes or gouges. The break in the rudder cable was within 1 inch of the aft cable guide for the right aft rudder pulley. Two separate incidents involving flight control cables being improperly installed over a cable guide were examined. In both cases, the cables separated, but the cable guides remained intact. The wear patterns on the cable guides for the previous incidents were similar to that of the incident cable guide.
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: 18,120 hours in all; 2,010 in this make and model; 145 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 10,210 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 16, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,250 hours in all; 210 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 7,210 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 31, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,597 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 14, 2001; 197 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 16,100 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: P&W J15D-5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P&W J15D-5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EEN Keene NH at 6:10 pm
- Destination: TEB Teterboro NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 1, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 3,100 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 am from TEB, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N3337J 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.