NTSB CAROL · Event
Event LAX04LA011
Registry · N6543V
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
CESSNA 172RG
Year of manufacture
1980 · 23 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19801124
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A89E6B
Registrant of record
CHUPITO SABROCITO LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The fracture and failure of the left landing gear actuator. Contributing to the accident was the operator's failure to comply with the manufacturer's service bulletin.
Factual narrative
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On October 12, 2003, at 1205 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172RG, N6543V, sustained a collapse of the left main landing gear strut on landing at Camarillo, California, airport. Channel Islands Aviation operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot and single passenger were not injured, and the airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed. The flight originated at Camarillo about 1100. The pilot told the National Transportation Safety Board investigator that he was flying to Santa Barbara, California, from Camarillo. When over Ventura, he heard a clank sound from under the airplane's floor decking and thought that it was unusual. When he lowered the landing gear for landing at Santa Barbara, he observed an unsafe indication for the left main landing gear strut. The pilot decided to return to Camarillo, where he discussed the situation with Channel Islands Aviation over the radio. He then decided to make the landing with the landing gear down. Upon the landing touchdown the left landing gear collapsed. The left horizontal stabilizer and elevator contacted the runway; the airplane then departed the runway to the left. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Investigator examined the airplane and maintenance logbooks. He reported that the left main landing gear actuator had fractures in its housing and appeared to have failed. The actuator was removed from the airplane and sent to the Safety Board Materials Laboratory for examination.
TESTS & RESERCH
Materials Laboratory Examination The entire Materials Laboratory Factual Report is available in the docket for this accident. The landing gear actuator, part number 9882015-2, serial number 7660, with an assembly date of 4Q80, was examined. The gear housing portion of the actuator had fractured in two locations; diagonally from the small diameter end and at a upper interior mounting hole. The actuator was sectioned at the upper interior mounting hole to facilitate fracture surface examination. The fractures along the small diameter of the actuator revealed a rough grainy surface with substantial shear lips, consistent with an overload event. The fracture at the upper interior mounting hole revealed a rough grainy surface with a woody appearance and parallel lines that were perpendicular to the inner edge of the large gear diameter of the housing, also consistent with an overload event. Examination of the flat side of the rack opposite to the teeth revealed a polished surface that had obliterated the original machining marks. The surface, consistent with contact with the rack support roller during retract and extend operations, was uniformly polished with the exception of a distinctly deeper arced impression where the rack support roller would contact the surface in the fully retracted position (landing gear down). Cessna Service Bulletin SEB01-2 Cessna Service Bulletin SEB01-2, originally issued on September 17, 2001, is applicable to part number 9882015-2. SEB01-2 directed initial inspection and rework for actuator/bodies exceeding 3,000 hours of total time in service and subsequent inspections every 500 hours thereafter. The inspection was to detect cracks in the location of the failures on the accident actuator. The Service Bulletin advised that failure to comply could result in failure of the actuator. Airplane Maintenance Records An FAA Inspector examined the airplane's maintenance logbooks. He reported that the logbooks have no entry of SEB01-2 compliance. The operator reported that the actuator was original equipment with 7,171 hours of total time in service. The left main landing gear strut collapsed on landing and the airplane departed the runway to the left. While airborne, prior to landing, the pilot heard a "clank" sound and thought it was unusual. When he lowered the landing gear he got an unsafe indication for the left main strut. The pilot decided to return to the airport he departed from. After troubleshooting and circling the airport, the pilot decided to make a landing attempt with the gear down. The post accident examination of the landing gear strut actuator body revealed numerous fractures and signs consistent with an overload event. A Service Bulletin (SB) had been issued by the manufacturer directing landing gear actuator rework and inspection for cracks (in the location of the failures on the accident actuator) at 3,000 hours total time, and at each 500 hour interval thereafter. The SB advised that failure to comply could result in failure of the actuator. Examination of the airplane's maintenance logbooks did not show compliance with the subject SB. The airframe had accumulated a total time in service of 7,171 hours. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2003_LAX04LA011.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.
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗