Premium research interface

The modern interface for aviation safety intelligence.

Search investigations, review source evidence, monitor watched reports, and trace long-term patterns from one calm, data-first workspace.

63k+
Reports indexed
1940-2026
Coverage
Recent
Last data refresh
Featured Report

Loading…

Loading featured report…

Loading…
Open Report

Safety trends by operating rule

Track fatal and non-fatal accident patterns across Part 91, Part 135, and Part 121 operations.

Loading trend charts…

Browse the aviation graph

Move quickly by aircraft, airport, operator, and time with indexes built for research, not wandering.

Last Data Update

By Decade

By Month

Aircraft Manufacturer

More manufacturers

Airports

More airports

Operators

More operators

About

Aviation safety reports, made easier to study

NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.

The goal is practical safety education: make it faster to find relevant investigations, compare similar events, review factual records, and understand the evidence behind probable-cause and preliminary reports.

The investigative work and source records belong to the National Transportation Safety Board and the published investigation record. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NTSB.

FAQs

NTSB Report

October 21, 2005 · Cessna 402B · N402CA

Sandpoint, ID

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
October 21, 2005
Injury Outcomes
No injuries (2 uninjured)
Location
Sandpoint, ID
Aircraft
Cessna 402B
Tail Number
N402CA
Operator
Aeroflight Executive Services
Injuries
None
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
NTSB Number
SEA06LA011

The pilot said that the flight was normal and he extended the flaps to 45 degrees on one-half mile final for landing. He said that soon after touchdown, the right wing slowly began to fall to the ground. Subsequently, the right wingtip fuel tank impacted a runway light, which compromised the tank. Additionally, the right aileron received a deep gouge in it and the outboard bottom of the wing was damaged. The pilot certificated passenger said that the pilot said to him while on final approach, "watch me make the first taxiway [1,342 feet]." The passenger further stated that "the approach looked really slow." The pilot-passenger said that the resulting landing was "joltingly hard." He said that he was not sure if they had hit something. He said that after the right wing was down on the runway, he saw fuel draining from the right tip tank, and after the airplane came to rest, he exited through the rear door. There was no post landing fire. A construction employee, who was acting as a ground traffic-safety person at the approach end to runway 01, said she observed the airplane land in the dirt, short of the runway. She said that it looked like the airplane landed "very hard", and then it bounced into the air. One of the fixed base operations employees stated that he saw the airplane on a steep final approach. He said that he lost sight of the airplane behind a building, but then saw the airplane perform its "second landing." The employee said the approach end to runway 01 has a 1 to 2 inch lip from the terrain to the surface of the runway.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's misjudged distance/altitude, which led to him landing short of the runway and impacting the runway's elevated lip. Contributing factors were the elevated runway lip and the right main landing gear failure.

Full Narrative

On October 21, 2005, at approximately 1550 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 402B, N402CA, was substantially damaged during a landing attempt at the Sandpoint Airport, Sandpoint, Idaho. The commercial pilot and his passenger were not injured. Aeroflight Executive Service, Inc., was operating the flight under Title 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country, positioning flight which originated approximately 35 minutes before the accident. A company VFR flight plan was on file. The pilot said that the flight was normal and his approach to landing was normal; however, flaps were extended to 45 degrees on one-half mile final. He said that as the wheels touched down, the gear warning horn began to sound and the right wing slowly began to fall to the ground. The pilot said that from this point on he had no directional control of the airplane, and it departed the right side of the runway. Subsequently, the right wingtip fuel tank impacted a runway light, which compromised the tank. Additionally, the right aileron received a deep gouge in it and the outboard bottom of the wing was damaged. The pilot certificated passenger said, in a telephone interview with a Federal Aviation Inspector, that the pilot said to him while on final approach, "watch me make the first taxiway [1,342 feet]." The passenger further stated that "the approach looked really slow." The pilot-passenger said that the resulting landing was "joltingly hard." He said that he was not sure if they had hit something. He said that after the right wing was down on the runway, he saw fuel draining from the right tip tank. He said that after the airplane came to rest, he exited through the rear door; there was no post landing fire. A construction employee, who was acting as a ground traffic-safety person at the approach end to runway 01, said she observed the airplane land in the dirt, short of the runway. She said that it looked like the airplane landed "very hard", and then it bounced into the air. One of the fixed base operations employees stated that he saw the airplane on a steep final approach. He said that he lost sight of the airplane behind a building, but then saw the airplane perform its "second landing." The employee said the approach end to runway 01 has a 1 to 2 inch lip from the terrain to the surface of the runway.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time15:50 PDT
Nearest AirportSandpoint Airport (0nm)
Runway01
Runway Length5502 ft
Runway Width75 ft
Flight Plan FiledCvfr
Flight Plan ActivatedYes
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftCessna 402B
Tail NumberN402CA
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageSubstantial
OperatorAeroflight Executive Services
Operating RulePart 91
Engines2
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsContinental · TSIO-520-E · Reciprocating · 300
Seats2

People & Injuries

Injury SummaryNo injuries (2 uninjured)
Fatal0
Serious0
Minor0
Uninjured2
Total2
Crew 1Age 28 · Second Class · None
Crew 2Age 24 · First Class · None

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
Wind20° @ 6 kt
Visibility10 sm
CeilingNone
Temperature / Dew Point59 / 43 C
Altimeter30.22 inHg
Observation Time22:56
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data