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

June 27, 2006 · Beech 76 · N6720T

El Cajon, CA

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
June 27, 2006
Injury Outcomes
No injuries (2 uninjured)
Location
El Cajon, CA
Aircraft
Beech 76
Tail Number
N6720T
Injuries
None
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
NTSB Number
LAX06CA217

The airplane's left main landing gear collapsed during the landing rollout. After performing maneuvers in the practice area, the flight instructor and student proceeded to a nearby airport to practice touch-and-goes. As they approached the airport traffic pattern, the student pilot moved the gear selector to the down position. Once the gear was down they noticed that the left main gear down light was not illuminated. They recycled the landing gear, but still received the same indication. A low approach and flyby past the tower confirmed that the gear was in the down position. The instructor decided to return to his home airport instead of landing at this airport. While en route, the instructor and student inspected the light bulbs of the indicator light and found them to be operating properly. They recycled the gear one more time. While doing this, the gear motor circuit breaker popped, and they smelled smoke in the cockpit. They pulled the landing gear circuit breakers immediately and the smoke smell cleared. The pilots extended the landing gear using the manual extension checklist. Once the gear came down, they still had the same unsafe gear indication. The instructor yawed the airplane in an attempt to lock the gear, but received the same unsafe indication. Upon arriving at his home airport, the instructor touched down using a soft-field landing technique. As the airplane decelerated, the left main landing gear collapsed and the left wing tip and the propeller struck the runway. Federal Aviation Administration inspectors examined the main landing gear after the accident. They found the left main landing gear "A" frame tube had failed. Airworthiness Directive 97-06-10 requires repetitive inspection of the main landing gear "A" frame assemblies for cracks and lubrication, and requires the replacement of any assembly found cracked. The actions specified in this AD are intended to prevent main landing gear failure and collapse because of a cracked "A" frame assembly. A review of the aircraft records indicated that AD 97-06-10 had been complied with during the last 100-hour inspection on June 21, 2006. This aircraft is operated by a flight school and the maintenance records show that it is operated at an activity level where a 100-hour inspection is accomplished once every 30 days or so.

NTSB Probable Cause

the failure of the "A" frame tube, which caused the left main landing gear to collapse.

Full Narrative

On June 27, 2006, about 1120 Pacific daylight time, a Beech 76, N6720T, experienced a left main landing gear collapse during landing rollout at Gillespie Field, El Cajon, California. Scandinavian Aviation Academy was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The certified flight instructor (CFI), and the private pilot undergoing instruction (PUI), were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The local instructional flight departed Gillespie Field about 1020. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The CFI submitted a written report. After departing Gillespie Field and performing maneuvers in the east practice area, the flight instructor and student proceeded to Brown Field Municipal to practice touch-and-goes. As they approached the airport traffic pattern, the student pilot moved the gear selector to the down position. Once the gear was down they noticed that the left main gear down light was not illuminated. They decided to recycle the landing gear, but still received the same indication. At this point the instructor took control of the airplane. The instructor asked the tower if they could do a low approach to verify that the gear was in the down position. The controller confirmed that the gear appeared to be down. The instructor decided to return to Gillespie Field. While en route, the instructor and student inspected the light bulbs of the indicator light and found them to be operating properly. They decided to recycle the gear one more time. While doing this, the gear motor circuit breaker popped, and they smelled smoke in the cockpit. They pulled the landing gear circuit breakers immediately and the smoke smell cleared. The pilots extended the landing gear using the manual extension checklist. Once the gear came down, they still had the same unsafe gear indication. The instructor attempted to lock the gear by yawing the airplane, but received the same unsafe gear indication. Upon arriving at Gillespie, the instructor asked for another gear confirmation from the tower. The controller said the gear appeared to be down. The instructor asked for a full stop landing on runway 27R. He executed the landing using a soft-field landing technique and the airplane touched down without incident. As the airplane decelerated, the left main landing gear collapsed and the left wing tip and the propeller struck the runway. They pulled the mixtures to idle as soon as they realized the gear was failing in an attempt to stop the propeller rotation before impact. The wing and propeller hit the ground before the engine shut down. The airplane turned left 45 degrees before stopping. They secured the airplane and exited. Emergency crews were standing by as the pilot had requested. A Federal Aviaition Administration inspector was present when maintenance personnel inspected the main landing gear. They found the left main landing gear "A" frame tube had failed at the lubrication point. Airworthiness Directive 97-06-10 requires repetitive inspection of the main landing gear "A" frame assemblies for cracks on Raytheon Aircraft Company Model 76 airplanes, and replacing any assembly found cracked. The actions specified in this AD are intended to prevent main landing gear failure because of a cracked "A" frame assembly, which could result in a loss of control of the airplane during landing operations. A review on the aircraft records indicated that AD 97-06-10 had been complied with during the last 100-hour inspection on June 21, 2006. This aircraft is operated by Scandinavian Aviation Academy, which is a flight school. The aircraft maintenance records indicated that the airplane is operated at an activity level where a 100-hour inspection is accomplished every 30 days or slightly less.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time11:20 PDT
Nearest AirportGillespie Field (0nm)
Runway27R
Runway Length5341 ft
Runway Width100 ft
Flight Plan FiledNone
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftBeech 76
Tail NumberN6720T
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageSubstantial
Operating RulePart 91
Engines2
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsLycoming · O-360-AIG6D · Reciprocating · 180 | Lycoming · O-360-AIG6D · Reciprocating · 180
Seats4

People & Injuries

Injury SummaryNo injuries (2 uninjured)
Fatal0
Serious0
Minor0
Uninjured2
Total2
Crew 1Age 33 · Second Class · None
Crew 2Age 23 · Third Class · None

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
Wind280° @ 12 kt
Visibility25 sm
CeilingBroken clouds 20000 ft
Temperature / Dew Point54
Altimeter29.88 inHg
Observation Time18:47
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data