19960218010019I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Socata TBM700 · Baltimore, MD · February 18, 1996

Date: February 18, 1996 · 19:20 local
Place: Baltimore, MD
Airport: Martin State Airport
Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N700SF
Reported as: Socata TBM700
People aboard: 5
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,220 total672 in this make and model49 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: on approach pilot attempted to extend landing gear. The main gear extended down and locked with two green indicators, but the nose gear did not. He tried to recycle the gear handle and there was no response. Pilot flew by tower and the tower verified the nose gear was not down and locked but that the gear was trailing about 30 degrees out of the nose gear wheel well. The pilot decided to land because the aircraft was low on fuel. He landed the aircraft on runway 33 with the nose gear partially extended. The aircraft was removed from the runway and placed on jacks. The landing gear was extended and retracted a half dozen times and the only problem noted was an unfamiliar noise from the hyd pump. There was also damage to two of its four propeller blades. The problem could not be duplicated by maintenance personnel. As a precautionary measure the hydraulic pump was removed and replaced because of the unfamiliar noise.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: ON APPROACH PILOT ATTEMPTED TO EXTEND LANDING GEAR. THE MAIN GEAR EXTENDED DOWN AND LOCKED WITH TWO GREEN INDICATORS, BUT THE NOSE GEAR DID NOT. HE TRIED TO RECYCLE THE GEAR HANDLE AND THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. PILOT FLEW BY TOWER AND THE TOWER VERIFIED THE NOSE GEAR WAS NOT DOWN AND LOCKED BUT THAT THE GEAR WAS TRAILING ABOUT 30 DEGREES OUT OF THE NOSE GEAR WHEEL WELL. THE PILOT DECIDED TO LAND BECAUSE THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOW ON FUEL. HE LANDED THE AIRCRAFT ON RUNWAY 33 WITH THE NOSE GEAR PARTIALLY EXTENDED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS REMOVED FROM THE RUNWAY AND PLACED ON JACKS. THE LANDING GEAR WAS EXTENDED AND RETRACTED A HALF DOZEN TIMES AND THE ONLY PROBLEM NOTED WAS AN UNFAMILIAR NOISE FROM THE HYD PUMP. THERE WAS ALSO DAMAGE TO TWO OF ITS FOUR PROPELLER BLADES. THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED BY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL. AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE THE HYDRAULIC PUMP WAS REMOVED AND REPLACED BECAUSE OF THE UNFAMILIAR NOISE.