Grumman G21A N86640
16 June 1990 · Long Beach, California, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 16 June 1990 at about 20:30 local time, a Grumman G21A registered N86640, operated by Richard Probert, was involved in an accident near Long Beach, California, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 20:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Long Beach, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 33.8107, -118.1807
- Aircraft
- Grumman G21A
- Registration
- N86640
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Richard Probert
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX90LA221
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
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.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
DURING THE 18-MONTH PERIOD PRIOR TO THIS FLIGHT THE ACFT HAD BEEN REBUILT. THIS WAS THE FIRST FLIGHT TO LEAK-CHECK THE HULL BEFORE PAINTING. SEVERAL WATER LANDINGS WERE MADE; THE LAST BEING REFERRED TO BY A WITNESS 'IT HIT THE WATER'. THE PILOT STATED THAT WHILE RETURNING TO LONG BEACH ALL ELEVATOR CONTROL WAS LOST. HE ELECTED TO LAND BACK IN THE WATER, AND FORGOT THE WHEELS WERE DOWN. THE LANDING WAS MADE USING POWER AND ELEV TRIM, AND THE ACFT NOSED OVER NEAR THE SHORELINE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED A DISCOLORED & CORRODED ELEV CONTROL CABLE TURNBUCKLE THAT HAD FAILED DUE TO STRESS CORROSION CRACKING, WITH THE FINAL FAILURE MODE OF TENSILE OVERLOAD. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE HAD NOT MADE A WATER LANDING IN OVER ONE YEAR. ABOUT 2-1/2 HRS AFTER THE OCCURRENCE THE PILOT'S BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVEL WAS 0.022%.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Grumman G21A accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jun 1986 | Grumman G21A | Hobart Bay, Alaska, United States | Channel Flying Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 21 Mar 1994 | Grumman G21A | Mt. Fairweather, Canada | State of Alaska | Minor injuries | - |
| 15 Oct 1985 | Grumman G21A | Long Island, Alaska, United States | Westflight Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 5 Nov 1978 | Grumman G21A | St Croix U.s.v.i., Virgin Islands, United States | Antilles Air B | No injuries | - |
| 4 Jun 1978 | Grumman G21A | St.thomas, Virgin Islands, United States | Antilles Air B | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jun 2007 | Grumman G21A | Dutch Harbor, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Apr 1990 | Cessna 180 | Soledad, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 1990 | Cessna 150 | Riverside, California, United States | PAR Flight | No injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1990 | Piper PA46 | Paso Robles, California, United States | Piper Aircraft Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 1990 | Cessna 182M | Bakersfield, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Apr 1990 | Piper J-3 | Creston, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1990 | Bell 47G4 | Merced, California, United States | John W. Myers | Serious injuries | - |