Skip to content

Atlas / NTSB / LAX87LA328

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event LAX87LA328

1987-08-30 LANCASTER, California, United States Airport · WJF None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N39DD

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

CESSNA 340

Year of manufacture

1973 · 14 years old at event

Engine

CONT MOTOR TSIO-520 SER (300 hp)

Seats / Engines

6 seats · 2 engines

Last airworthiness date

19730718

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A480BF

Registrant of record

LARSON DANNY O

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND (PIC) RPRTD THAT HE HEARD A LOUD BANG DURING GEAR RETRACTION AFTER TAKEOFF. BY USING THE CONVEX MIRRORS MOUNTED ON THE TIP TANKS, HE DETERMINED THAT THE NOSE GEAR WAS HANGING. HE CYCLED THE LANDING GEAR SWITCH SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THE NOSE GEAR DID NOT MOVE. THE PIC STATED THAT HE ELECTED TO LAND ON A SMOOTH SECTION OF GROUND WHICH WAS THE APPROACH TO RWY 24. HE STATED THAT DURING TOUCHDOWN, THE NOSE GEAR SWUNG INTO ITS WHEEL WELL, BUT THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED. THE ACFT THEN TURNED TO THE LEFT & THE RGT MAIN GEAR FAILED FROM SIDE LOADING. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT SLID TO A STOP WITH BOTH TIP TANKS BROKEN OFF. AN EXAM REVEALED THE NOSE GEAR ROD END LINK THAT CONNECTED TO THE LANDING GEAR TRANSMISSION GEARBOX HAD FRACTURED. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1987_LAX87LA328.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.