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19960323008369I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Beech 35BEECH · Exeter, CA · March 23, 1996

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
March 23, 1996 · 13:00 local
Place
Exeter, CA
Airport
Thunderhawk Field Airport
Phase of flight
Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N3869N
Reported as
Beech 35BEECH
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
100 in this make and model10 in the last 90 days
N3869NRegistered now · Beech 35S/N D-1110 · Built 1947Airframe modelBeech 35Engine modelContinental E185 seriesReciprocating

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 March 23, 1996, at approximately 1300 PST a Beechcraft bonanza BE-35, N3869N was being used for the conduct of a flight review. The owner/pilot who was not qualified to act as the pilot in command was being evaluated by the commercial pilot/cfi who was in the right pilot seat. The nose wheel shimmy dampner had been serviced earlier that day. While taking off from the visalia airport, CA, both pilots heard a loud pop and were unsure of it's origin. They continued back to Thunderhawk field, Exeter, CA and when approaching to land did not get a safe landing gear indication. Visual indications from another airplane confirmed that the nose landing gear mud guard had become detached from the nose landing gear and was not allowing the nose gear to extend fully. The owner/pilot of the airplane landed on a grass portion of the infield with the landing gear retracted since the landing gear could not be positively locked down. Subsequently it was reported that the control rod had broken to the nose wheel assembly. The two passengers (children ) and the pilots were not injured as a result of wheels up landing. VFR flight conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. This incident closed.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: ON MARCH 23, 1996, AT APPROXIMATELY 1300 PST A BEECHCRAFT BONANZA BE-35, N3869N WAS BEING USED FOR THE CONDUCT OF A FLIGHT REVIEW. THE OWNER/PILOT WHO WAS NOT QUALIFIED TO ACT AS THE PILOT IN COMMAND WAS BEING EVALUATED BY THE COMMERCIAL PILOT/CFI WHO WAS IN THE RIGHT PILOT SEAT. THE NOSE WHEEL SHIMMY DAMPNER HAD BEEN SERVICED EARLIER THAT DAY. WHILE TAKING OFF FROM THE VISALIA AIRPORT, CA, BOTH PILOTS HEARD A LOUD POP AND WERE UNSURE OF IT'S ORIGIN. THEY CONTINUED BACK TO THUNDERHAWK FIELD, EXETER, CA AND WHEN APPROACHING TO LAND DID NOT GET A SAFE LANDING GEAR INDICATION. VISUAL INDICATIONS FROM ANOTHER AIRPLANE CONFIRMED THAT THE NOSE LANDING GEAR MUD GUARD HAD BECOME DETACHED FROM THE NOSE LANDING GEAR AND WAS NOT ALLOWING THE NOSE GEAR TO EXTEND FULLY. THE OWNER/PILOT OF THE AIRPLANE LANDED ON A GRASS PORTION OF THE INFIELD WITH THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED SINCE THE LANDING GEAR COULD NOT BE POSITIVELY LOCKED DOWN. SUBSEQUENTLY IT WAS REPORTED THAT THE CONTROL ROD HAD BROKEN TO THE NOSE WHEEL ASSEMBLY. THE TWO PASSENGERS (CHILDREN ) AND THE PILOTS WERE NOT INJURED AS A RESULT OF WHEELS UP LANDING. VFR FLIGHT CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THIS INCIDENT CLOSED.