19990205010869I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Amtrru Varieze · Denver, CO · February 5, 1999

Date: February 5, 1999 · 09:30 local
Place: Denver, CO
Airport: Jeffco Airport
Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N234BW
Reported as: Amtrru Varieze
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,000 total300 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.

Pilot executed a normal landing, and on rollout slowed to approximately 30 knots when the nose wheel came off of the aircraft. Investigation revealedthat two of the four bolts that attach the wheel on the aircraft showed signs of metal fatigue. When these two bolts failed, it caused the other two retaining bolts to fail, causing the seperation of the nose wheel from the aircraft. When the maintenance was performed to re-install the nose wheel, it was done with a much harder bolt, thus alleviating another incident of this nature. Mr. Siegel is a member of the experimental aircraft associatiion (eaa) and has reported the failure of the nose wheel retaining bolts. The eaa will circulate this information to all experimental operators via their newsletter.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT EXECUTED A NORMAL LANDING, AND ON ROLLOUT SLOWED TO APPROXIMATELY 30 KNOTS WHEN THE NOSE WHEEL CAME OFF OF THE AIRCRAFT. INVESTIGATION REVEALEDTHAT TWO OF THE FOUR BOLTS THAT ATTACH THE WHEEL ON THE AIRCRAFT SHOWED SIGNS OF METAL FATIGUE. WHEN THESE TWO BOLTS FAILED, IT CAUSED THE OTHER TWO RETAINING BOLTS TO FAIL, CAUSING THE SEPERATION OF THE NOSE WHEEL FROM THE AIRCRAFT. WHEN THE MAINTENANCE WAS PERFORMED TO RE-INSTALL THE NOSE WHEEL, IT WAS DONE WITH A MUCH HARDER BOLT, THUS ALLEVIATING ANOTHER INCIDENT OF THIS NATURE. MR. SIEGEL IS A MEMBER OF THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATIION (EAA) AND HAS REPORTED THE FAILURE OF THE NOSE WHEEL RETAINING BOLTS.THE EAA WILL CIRCULATE THIS INFORMATION TO ALL EXPERIMENTAL OPERATORS VIA THEIR NEWSLETTER.