NTSB CAROL · Event
Event FTW96LA241
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The failure of the right main gear torque link during landing roll as a result of its improper assembly by maintenance personnel.
Factual narrative
On June 8, 1996, at 1130 central daylight time, a Weatherly 620B, N2004L, was substantially damaged during landing at Moore County Airport in Dumas, Texas. The commercial pilot was not injured. The aircraft was registered to the First National Bank of West Texas and operated by a private owner under Title 14 CFR Part 137. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local aerial application flight which had originated at 1030. A flight plan had not been filed. The pilot reported the following information in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report. When the aircraft returned from an application flight for landing, upon touch down, it began to nose over and veer to the right. The pilot "pulled on the stick and got on the left brake," but the airplane continued to veer right until it exited the runway. The pilot stated that "when it got to the dirt it dug in and flipped over onto its back (top)." After the pilot got out of the airplane, he found the right main gear perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft and the right main gear torque link bolt broken. Post-crash examination by the manufacturer revealed that the right main gear torque link assembly had been improperly assembled during a field maintenance procedure, approximately 50 flight hours earlier. When the aircraft returned from an application flight for landing, upon touch down, it began to nose over and veer to the right. The pilot 'pulled on the stick and got on the left brake,' but the airplane continued to veer right until it exited the runway. The pilot stated that 'when it got to the dirt it dug in and flipped over onto its back (top).' After the pilot got out of the airplane, he found the right main gear perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft and the right main gear torque link bolt broken. Post-crash examination by the manufacturer revealed that the right main gear torque link assembly had been improperly assembled during a field maintenance procedure. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1996_FTW96LA241.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (maintenance). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2026 · Journal article (IJAAA)
From Reactive to Predictive: A hybrid Trust-Mediated Adoption Framework for Data-Driven Maintenance in Distributed-Authority Aviation Environments
Modern aviation maintenance operates within increasingly data-intensive technological environments, yet the operational integration of predictive maintenance into routine decision-making remains incon…
- Semantic Scholar 2025 · Article (Applied Sciences)
Decision-Making Framework for Aviation Safety in Predictive Maintenance Strategies
The implementation of predictive maintenance (PM) in aviation presents unique challenges due to strict safety requirements, complex operational environments, and regulatory constraints.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (JAAER)
Low-Resource Automatic Speech Recognition Domain Adaptation – A Case-Study in Aviation Maintenance
With timeliness and efficiency being critical in the aviation maintenance industry, the need has been growing for smart technological solutions that optimize and streamline the different underlying ta…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (JAAER)
A New Trajectory in UAV Safety: Leveraging Reinforcement Learning for Distance Maintenance Under Wind Variations
In the field of aviation, safety is a critical cornerstone, and the operation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems is deeply connected with this principle.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (IJAAA)
Just Culture in Aviation: A Metaphorical Study on Aircraft Maintenance Students
Just Culture, a sub-dimension of safety culture, has been a prominent and debated topic in aviation safety in recent years.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (IJAAA)
Performance PRISM: A Comprehensive Framework For Performance Measurement In Aircraft Maintenance
Aircraft maintenance is governed by rigorous safety requirements and high operational complexity, demanding robust performance measurement frameworks to ensure optimal maintenance practices.
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