Primary finding
Probable cause
The inadequate maintenance of the taxiway.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
When the airplane taxiied over a broken drainage grate on the taxiway, the right main landing gear collapsed, causing the right horizontal stabilizer and right wing tip to strike the ground.
Source record
Factual narrative
On September 28, 1993, at 1715 central daylight time, a Cessna 210, N9640T was substantially damaged following a collision with an object during taxi operations at the Smyrna, Tennessee Airport. The commercial pilot was not injured in the accident. The aircraft was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91 by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the time, and no flight plan had been filed for the personal flight to Gadsden, Alabama. The pilot reported that during the taxi for departure, the right main landing gear crossed over a drain sewer manhole cover. The cover broke, and the right landing gear fell through the hole. The right main landing gear collapsed, the right horizontal stabilizer and the right wing struck the ground, and the airplane came to rest on its right side. -