Summary
On June 16, 1990, a Grumman G21A (N86640) was involved in an accident near Long Beach, CA. The accident resulted in 1 serious injury, 1 minor injury. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO RETRACT THE LANDING GEAR RESULTING IN AN INADVERTENT WHEELS-DOWN LANDING IN WATER. IN ADDITION, A LOSS OF ELEVATOR CONTROL WAS ENCOUNTERED DUE TO A STRESS CORROSION FAILURE OF AN ELEVATOR CONTROL CABLE TURNBUCKLE AS A RESULT OF INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: A PREVIOUS HARD LANDING AS A RESULT OF AN IMPROPER LEVEL-OFF, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF RECENT EXPERIENCE IN THE MAKE AND MODEL AIRPLANE.
This accident is documented in NTSB report LAX90LA221. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N86640.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO RETRACT THE LANDING GEAR RESULTING IN AN INADVERTENT WHEELS-DOWN LANDING IN WATER. IN ADDITION, A LOSS OF ELEVATOR CONTROL WAS ENCOUNTERED DUE TO A STRESS CORROSION FAILURE OF AN ELEVATOR CONTROL CABLE TURNBUCKLE AS A RESULT OF INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: A PREVIOUS HARD LANDING AS A RESULT OF AN IMPROPER LEVEL-OFF, AND THE PILOT'S LACK OF RECENT EXPERIENCE IN THE MAKE AND MODEL AIRPLANE.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# LAX90LA221