OpenAirDocs.org

19960805031619I

Incident · Minor damage
Open the Markdown

FAA incident report · Piper PA44180 · Long Beach, CA · August 5, 1996

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
August 5, 1996 · 20:00 local
Place
Long Beach, CA
Airport
Long Beach - Daugherty Field
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N144RJ
Reported as
Piper PA44180
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
223 total20 in this make and model30 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: while conducting multi-engine instruction on August 5, 1996, PIC noted nose landing gear light not illuminated. Emergency gear extension procedures were attempted to no avail. PIC landed aircraft on runway 25L with the nose gear collapsing at mid field. Occupants were not injured. Aircraft nose was raised and gear extended and secured, taxi to parking at rainbow air. Aircraft inspection revealed nose cowling underside scraped, both gear doors ground down, left gear door extension rod broken off and missing, right gear door extension rod broken at door connection, both sides of nose skin wrinkled, one stringer on left side bent. M or d to follow. Subsequent inspection of the airframe and nose gear damaged components revealed that the gear mechanism tube assembly right hand side gear door rod attach bracket was broken, with an obvious pre-existing crack as origination point. Evidence of nose gear doors damage indicate that the right door was open on landing, the left door closed. The left door showed signs of contact with the nose gear wheel or tire, privacy data omitted with the gear mechanism tube assembly broken on the right side, privacy data omitted resulting in the binding contact with the nose wheel assembly.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: WHILE CONDUCTING MULTI-ENGINE INSTRUCTION ON AUGUST 5, 1996, PIC NOTED NOSE LANDING GEAR LIGHT NOT ILLUMINATED. EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION PROCEDURES WERE ATTEMPTED TO NO AVAIL. PIC LANDED AIRCRAFT ON RUNWAY 25L WITH THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSING AT MID FIELD. OCCUPANTS WERE NOT INJURED. AIRCRAFT NOSE WAS RAISED AND GEAR EXTENDED AND SECURED, TAXI TO PARKING AT RAINBOW AIR. AIRCRAFT INSPECTION REVEALED NOSE COWLING UNDERSIDE SCRAPED, BOTH GEAR DOORS GROUND DOWN, LEFT GEAR DOOR EXTENSION ROD BROKEN OFF AND MISSING, RIGHT GEAR DOOR EXTENSION ROD BROKEN AT DOOR CONNECTION, BOTH SIDES OF NOSE SKIN WRINKLED, ONE STRINGER ON LEFT SIDE BENT. M OR D TO FOLLOW. SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION OF THE AIRFRAME AND NOSE GEAR DAMAGED COMPONENTS REVEALED THAT THE GEAR MECHANISM TUBE ASSEMBLY RIGHT HAND SIDE GEAR DOOR ROD ATTACH BRACKET WAS BROKEN, WITH AN OBVIOUS PRE-EXISTING CRACK AS ORIGINATION POINT. EVIDENCE OF NOSE GEAR DOORS DAMAGE INDICATE THAT THE RIGHT DOOR WAS OPEN ON LANDING, THE LEFT DOOR CLOSED. THE LEFT DOOR SHOWED SIGNS OF CONTACT WITH THE NOSE GEAR WHEEL OR TIRE, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WITH THE GEAR MECHANISM TUBE ASSEMBLY BROKEN ON THE RIGHT SIDE, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ RESULTING IN THE BINDING CONTACT WITH THE NOSE WHEEL ASSEMBLY.