N400AR

On April 3, 1998, about 1705 eastern standard time, a Cessna 402B, N400AR, registered to Dove One Inc., crashed into airport equipment after the landing gear collapsed at Palm Beach International Airport, West Palm Beach, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and a company VFR flight plan was filed for the Title 14 CFR Part 135 on-demand air taxi flight. The commercial-rated pilot and eight passengers reported no injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged. The flight departed Marsh Harbor, Bahamas, at 1520.

According to the passengers, they were scheduled to leave Marsh Harbor at 1500, but the airplane was about 30 or 40 minutes late. A passenger said, when the pilot arrived he, "seemed to...be in a hurry...there was no safety instructions or any attempt to show us or the kids the operation of the door." Following takeoff from Marsh Harbor, the flight climbed to an altitude of 6,700 feet. The pilot attempted to make radio contact with an unknown station while over Freeport, Bahamas, but was unsuccessful. The passenger said that he "seemed agitated." In addition, the passengers noticed that the left alternator light was illuminated, and questioned the pilot. The pilot told the passengers, "...it's nothing it always comes on." About 15 minutes after departure, the flight descended to 3,000 feet. The pilot attempted to make radio contact with someone again, and asked the passengers to help him locate another microphone, "...to help him make contact with ATC."

One of the passengers stated, the flight continued at 3,000 feet until the pilot saw a ship in the ocean and, "...he dropped to around 1,000 feet over the ship, he was still working with his radio." The passenger said that the pilot offered, "no expatiation of why this was going on." Another passenger explained that the pilot had no radio contact. The flight continued onto the coast, and once the coast was in sight the pilot changed course. The passengers stated that, "later we learned that he said he had communication with West Palm Beach Airport."

The passengers told EMS personnel that the airplane made an "abrupt" left turn to line up with the runway, and when the airplane touched down they felt, "the right side of the aircraft collapse." After touchdown on runway 27L, the airplane's right main landing gear collapsed, then the left gear collapsed. The airplane slid off the right side of the runway and struck RVR (runway visual range) equipment.

According to the pilot's statement, he arrived at Palm Beach about 1630 and, "...made [a] normal approach to runway 27 left. All systems indicated normal. Upon touchdown and roll out all was ok for 3-4 hundred feet- [right] gear collapsed...unable to hold aircraft on runway...nose hit RVR antenna swinging aircraft more right to catch right wing and remove tip tank. Left gear collapsed as aircraft came to rest."

According to the FAA Inspector's statement, it was his opinion, on the day of the accident the aircraft was, "over gross weight on departure from Marsh Harbor...the pilot was experiencing radio problems... and I [FAA Inspector] believe he was flustered and annoyed...in the pattern he made an abrupt left turn to lineup with [runway] 27, and when he touched down on the runway the right gear immediately collapsed due to [side] overload." In addition, both landing gear trunnions, where the retract mechanisms were attached, were broken as if "overloaded."