Cessna 340A accident near Bakersfield, California, January 27, 2016
On January 27, 2016 at about 5:39 pm local time, a 1978 Cessna 340A, registered N346MC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Bakersfield, California (Meadows Field). 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
Maintenance personnel’s repeated failure to re-rig the main landing gear (MLG) in accordance with the airplane manufacturer's service manual requirements, which resulted in the collapse of the right MLG.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 27, 2016 · about 5:39 pm local time
- Place
- Bakersfield, California · Meadows Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 340A, built 1978 · all 340As on the register
- Registration
- N346MC · registry record · serial 340A-0425
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. The pilot reported that he configured the airplane to land at his destination airport. However, during his instrument panel scan, he observed a warning light indicating that the right main landing gear (MLG) was not locked in the extended position. He then departed the traffic pattern and attempted to troubleshoot the indication by cycling the landing gear without success. He subsequently returned to the airport and used the hand crank to manually deploy the gear but continued to receive the "gear unlocked" indication. The airplane touched down normally, but as the pilot attempted a right turn to exit the runway, the right MLG collapsed, which resulted in substantial damage to the right aileron. Postaccident examination of the landing gear revealed that the right MLG aft drive tube, which supplies overcenter tension to the aft bellcrank and side brace lock link when the MLG is in the extended position, failed in tensile overload. According to an airplane manufacturer representative, low overcenter tension, which is typically a result of improper rigging, will cause the MLG to collapse when it is under load in the extended position. If the MLG collapses while it is in the extended positon, the aft drive tube will fracture in tensile overload. According to the airplane service manual, the landing gear must be re-rigged following any adjustment to the gear down-lock tension; however, a representative of the pilot's maintenance provider reported that maintenance personnel had not complied with this service manual requirement after adjusting the MLG down-lock tension in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Therefore, it is likely that maintenance personnel's failure to re-rig the MLG in accordance with the manual requirements led to its being improperly rigged and to the subsequent collapse of the right MLG.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during approach (VFR pattern base)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Failure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Incorrect service/maintenance
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › (general) › Maintenance personnel
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of policy/procedure › Maintenance personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,600 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 4,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 25, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,149 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 7, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 5,990 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Continental TSIO-520NB (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Continental TSIO-520NB (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Pacific FBO Properties LLC
The flight
- Departed from: SBA Santa Barbara CA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: BFL Bakersfield CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30R, 10,855 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.37 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from BFL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
13 documents, released by the NTSB on May 2, 2016. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NTSB Material's Laboratory Aft Tube Examination | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Record of Conversations | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Weather Reports and Records | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Airplane Emergency Procedures | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Excerpts from Aircraft Logbooks | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Excerpt from Cessna 340 Service Manual | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 8 | Excerpts from Aircraft Logbooks and Maintenance Work Orders | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Landing Gear Examination Factual Report | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 10 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 11 | Accident Photographs | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
| 12 | Petition for Reconsideration | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 13 | Response to Petition for Reconsideration | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.