Cessna 401 accident near Plymouth, Massachusetts, May 31, 1990
On May 31, 1990 at about 3:15 pm local time, a Cessna 401, registered N401FC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Plymouth, Massachusetts (Plymouth airport). It was a business 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
IMPROPER MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION BY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL OF THE LEFT GEAR TORQUE LINK ATTACHMENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 31, 1990 · about 3:15 pm local time
- Place
- Plymouth, Massachusetts · Plymouth
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 401 · all 401s on the register
- Registration
- N401FC · no longer on the register · serial 401-0211
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE LANDED NORMALLY. THE PILOT FELT A VIBRATION AND THE AIRPLANE PULLED LEFT DURING ROLLOUT. HE HEARD A LOUD SNAPPING SOUND AND THE LEFT SIDE OF THE AIRPLANE DROPPED TO THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE PULLED SEVERELY LEFT AND DEPARTED THE RUNWAY AND STOPPED IN THE GRASS ABOUT 30 FEET FROM THE RUNWAY. EXAMINATION OF THE LANDING GEAR REVEALED A NUT, WASHER, AND COTTER PIN WERE MISSING FROM THE LEFT GEAR TORQUE-LINK ATTACHMENT TWO HOURS HOBBS TIME AFTER THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. WORK HAD BEEN PERFORMED ON THE LEFT GEAR TORQUE LINK ATTACHMENT DURING THE LAST INSPECTION.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,400 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 11,300 as pilot in command; 3,426 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,300 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-E (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Plymouth Air Sales
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 3,500 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 225° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.