19970501013109I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Lugo JUNGSTER I · Amarillo, TX · May 1, 1997

Date: May 1, 1997
Place: Amarillo, TX
Airport: Amarillo International Airport
Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N32X
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,535 total2,500 in this make and model40 in the last 90 days

N32XRegistration cancelled Sep 27, 2012 · Lugo JUNGSTER IS/N 691144 · Built 1975 Airframe modelLugo JUNGSTER I Engine modelContinental C85 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: when this instrument rated pilot arrived in Amarillo, his nose gear failed to indicate down and locked. He landed normally holding nose gear off as long as possible. Nose gear did not come out of the nose wheel well so he landed on mains and the prop. No damage to fuselage or cowling. This is an experimental amateur built acft. There was a nose gear malfunction of the hydraulic activator. Post accident teardown of the activator determined that there was a small piece of trash in the nose gear restrictor valve orifice which hydraulically locked the nose gear in the up position.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: WHEN THIS INSTRUMENT RATED PILOT ARRIVED IN AMARILLO, HIS NOSE GEAR FAILED TO INDICATE DOWN AND LOCKED. HE LANDED NORMALLY HOLDING NOSE GEAR OFF AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. NOSE GEAR DID NOT COME OUT OF THE NOSE WHEEL WELL SO HE LANDED ON MAINS AND THE PROP. NO DAMAGE TO FUSELAGE OR COWLING. THIS IS AN EXPERIMENTAL AMATEUR BUILT ACFT. THERE WAS A NOSE GEAR MALFUNCTION OF THE HYDRAULIC ACTIVATOR. POST ACCIDENT TEARDOWN OF THE ACTIVATOR DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A SMALL PIECE OF TRASH IN THE NOSE GEAR RESTRICTOR VALVE ORIFICE WHICH HYDRAULICALLY LOCKED THE NOSE GEAR IN THE UP POSITION.