LAX02LA142
2002-04-23 · LANCASTER, California, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed
Airport WJF
Current FAA registration · N6304X
- Make / Model
- CESSNA 340A
- Year of manufacture
- 1978 · 24 years old at event
- Engine
- CONT MOTOR TSIO-520 SER (300 hp)
- Seats / Engines
- 6 seats · 2 engines
- Last airworthiness date
- 19780320
- ADS-B equipped
- Yes — Mode-S A840B6
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The collapse of the right main landing gear as a result of a malfunctioning microswitch.
Factual narrative
On April 23, 2002, at 1012 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 340A, N6304X, had the right main landing gear collapse during the landing rollout at General William J. Fox Field (WJF), Lancaster, California. The owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight originated from Four Corners Regional Airport (FMN), Farmington, New Mexico, at 0800. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. In a written report by the pilot, he stated the approach and landing were normal. He touched down on the main wheels first, and then the nose wheel touched down. He rolled out approximately 1,200 feet, without applying brakes. Then, he heard a clicking noise coming from the right main gear and felt the right side collapse. He added full power to maintain right wing up and checked and confirmed three green lights on his landing gear indicator. The pilot slowly let the power subside and the airplane veered to the right side of the runway as the right landing gear collapsed. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector reported that the landing gear collapsed during the landing rollout on runway 24, and determined that the airplane sustained substantial damage. He found the landing gear selector in the down position. Examination of the landing gear microswitches revealed they were dirty, but not cracked or broken. After maintenance personnel replaced the microswitches, the landing gear functioned properly. Following a normal approach and landing, the right main landing gear collapsed during the landing rollout. Post accident examination revealed the landing gear selector was in the down position and the landing gear microswitches were dirty, but not cracked or broken. After maintenance personnel replaced the microswitches, the landing gear functioned properly. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2002_LAX02LA142.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (maintenance). All research papers
- 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 2026 · Article (Reliability Engineering & System Safety) Understanding human error in military aviation maintenance: The role of Performance shaping factors, cognitive workload and error orientation
- 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.
- Semantic Scholar 2024 · Article (Defence Science Journal) Modelling of Human Factors in Aviation Maintenance Using HFACS ME Human Factors Analysis and Classification System Maintenance Extension and Bayesian Network
Aircraft maintenance is a complex task involving a skilled human workforce, spare parts, and various other resources. Human factors are an inherent element of the human workforce.
- 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 (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…