Bellanca 14-19 accident near Columbia, California, June 11, 2009
On June 11, 2009 at about 7:22 pm local time, a Bellanca 14-19, registered N6561N, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Columbia, California (Columbia Airport). It was a personal 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the left main landing gear drag link as a result of overstress fracture. Contributing to the accident was maintenance personnel's failure to detect a small crack in the left main landing gear drag link during the most recent annual inspection.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 11, 2009 · about 7:22 pm local time
- Place
- Columbia, California · Columbia Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bellanca 14-19 · all 14-19s on the register
- Registration
- N6561N · no longer on the register · serial 2014
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that after a normal touchdown on runway 17, the airplane suddenly veered to the left. The pilot applied right rudder and right brake, which had no effect. The left main landing gear collapsed, and the left wing impacted the ground. The airplane continued to the left and exited the runway onto a grassy area. There was structural damage to the left wing, aileron, and flap. Post-accident examination of the airplane revealed that the left main landing gear drag link had separated at the junction of the upper and lower drag links, and the landing gear strut had folded forward. The drag link appeared to be the original part installed during manufacture of the airplane in 1950. Examination of the separation surfaces on the drag link revealed that the drag link fractured due to overstress. Most of the fracture surface appeared to be newly created indicating the majority of the overstress fracture occurred at the time of the landing. However, well-developed corrosion-product film was identified on a small portion of the fracture surface indicating this portion of the overstress fracture had occurred at an earlier time. The pilot reported that the landing gear was most recently inspected during the annual inspection about 1 month before the accident with no discrepancies noted. A small crack (corresponding to the corroded portion of the fracture surface) was likely present on the drag link at the time of this inspection, but it was not discovered.
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
What happened, in order
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Scheduled/routine maintenance › Maintenance personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 540 hours in all; 110 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 420 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 10, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,761 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 10, 2009; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,600 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-435 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0L7 Jean NV at 5:10 pm
- Destination: O22 Columbia CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 4,670 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 3,700 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 7:20 pm from O22
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR09LA290.