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19960517013299I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Beech A100 · Burlington, VT · May 17, 1996

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 17, 1996 · 10:31 local
Place
Burlington, VT
Airport
Burlington International
Phase of flight
Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator
IGXA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N100GV
Reported as
Beech A100
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney PT6A28
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
13,500 total50 in this make and model100 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: the flight was a reposition (FAR part 91) flight from btv to mvl. After making an adf approach to mvl the landing gear was selected down. No green lights were observed and the red light in the gear handle was on. The crew cycled the gear several times. The crew then began emergency procedure for emergency gear extension. During the process of attempting to lower the gear using the manual gear extension handle, it appeared that the handle was stuck. The crew decided to return to btv and make a tower pass to allow for a visual inspection of landing gear position by FAA tower personnel. The tower reported that the gear doors were open but the gear appeared to be up still. The crew then removed the floor boards above the gear motor and transmission. The crew inspected the motor area and it appeared that something mechanical had seized. After conferring with company maintenance personnel, who had conferred with Beechcraft manufacturing personnel, the crew was instructed to apply hard pressure on the pump handle and they were able to get the gear to partially extend before the ratcheting mechanism broke. At that point, the crew had no alternative but to make a gear -up landing. The aircraft was landed successfully with only minor damage to the propellers, engine cowlings, and flaps. The gear motor is suspected to have failed internally and follow-up action is being conducted by the company.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: THE FLIGHT WAS A REPOSITION (FAR PART 91) FLIGHT FROM BTV TO MVL. AFTER MAKING AN ADF APPROACH TO MVL THE LANDING GEAR WAS SELECTED DOWN. NO GREEN LIGHTS WERE OBSERVED AND THE RED LIGHT IN THE GEAR HANDLE WAS ON. THE CREW CYCLED THE GEAR SEVERAL TIMES. THE CREW THEN BEGAN EMERGENCY PROCEDURE FOR EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION. DURING THE PROCESS OF ATTEMPTING TO LOWER THE GEAR USING THE MANUAL GEAR EXTENSION HANDLE, IT APPEARED THAT THE HANDLE WAS STUCK. THE CREW DECIDED TO RETURN TO BTV AND MAKE A TOWER PASS TO ALLOW FOR A VISUAL INSPECTION OF LANDING GEAR POSITION BY FAA TOWER PERSONNEL. THE TOWER REPORTED THAT THE GEAR DOORS WERE OPEN BUT THE GEAR APPEARED TO BE UP STILL. THE CREW THEN REMOVED THE FLOOR BOARDS ABOVE THE GEAR MOTOR AND TRANSMISSION. THE CREW INSPECTED THE MOTOR AREA AND IT APPEARED THAT SOMETHING MECHANICAL HAD SEIZED. AFTER CONFERRING WITH COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL, WHO HAD CONFERRED WITH BEECHCRAFT MANUFACTURING PERSONNEL, THE CREW WAS INSTRUCTED TO APPLY HARD PRESSURE ON THE PUMP HANDLE AND THEY WERE ABLE TO GET THE GEAR TO PARTIALLY EXTEND BEFORE THE RATCHETING MECHANISM BROKE. AT THAT POINT, THE CREW HAD NO ALTERNATIVE BUT TO MAKE A GEAR -UP LANDING. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LANDED SUCCESSFULLY WITH ONLY MINOR DAMAGE TO THE PROPELLERS, ENGINE COWLINGS, AND FLAPS. THE GEAR MOTOR IS SUSPECTED TO HAVE FAILED INTERNALLY AND FOLLOW-UP ACTION IS BEING CONDUCTED BY THE COMPANY.