19990517021559A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Beech 99A · Bemidji, MN · May 17, 1999

Date
May 17, 1999 · 18:40 local
Place
Bemidji, MN
Airport
Bemidji-Beltrami County
Phase of flight
Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator
BEMA
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N133BA
NTSB investigation
NTSBCHI99LA156
Reported as
Beech 99A
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney PT6A27
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0

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.

On may 17, 1999, at 1840 central daylight time (CDT), a Beech 99A, N133BA, operated by an airline transport pilot, sustained substantial damage when the airplane's left main landing gear collapsed during landing roll at the Bemidji Beltrami county airport, Bemidji, Minnesota. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The systems flight test was being conducted under 14 CFR part 91. No flight plan was on file. The pilot reported no injuries. The local flight originated at Bemidji, Minnesota, at 1740 CDT. In his written statement, the pilot said that following takeoff and raising the landing gear, the red warning light in the landing gear handle failed to go out. The pilot said that he recycled the landing gear, but could not get the red light to go out. The pilot said that he continued with the test flight. On his return to the airport the pilot said he put the landing gear handle down and nothing happened. He recycled the handle two additional times with no results. The pilot overflew the airport and confirmed with his company's maintenance that the landing gear were still up. The pilot said that he then manually pumped the landing gear down, but only the nose gear and right main gear green indicator lights illuminated. The pilot overflew the airport again. His company's maintenance told him that the three gear were down. The pilot came in to land. He said that he touched down on the right main gear first, and then gently lowered the left main gear to the runway. The landing gear held. The pilot said he then tried to apply some reverse thrust. Suddenly, the left main gear collapsed, and the left wing struck the runway. The airplane slid off of the left side of the runway and came to a stop in the grass. (-23) during maintenance test flight pilot cycled landing gear up. Gear "in-transit" light stayed on. Pilot cycled gear down and obtained 3 green lights. Pilot cycled gear back up and the gear in-transit light again stayed on. Pilot completed maintenance test flight and upon selecting gear down for the landing the gear did not extend. Pilot manually extended gear and obtained green lights for the nose and right main gear. Pilot overflew airport to get visual confirmation from teh ground that the left gear was down. During roll out the pilot applied reverse thrust and at that time the left gear collapsed. The a/c slid off the left side of the runway onto the grass damaging the left prop, engine, exhaust duct, gear down, otbd 2 feet of the wing, aileron, both flaps,rear spar and mainspar where the gear actuator attaches.

As the FAA filed it

ON MAY 17, 1999, AT 1840 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME (CDT), A BEECH 99A, N133BA, OPERATED BY AN AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WHEN THE AIRPLANE'S LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED DURING LANDING ROLL AT THE BEMIDJI BELTRAMI COUNTY AIRPORT, BEMIDJI, MINNESOTA. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE SYSTEMS FLIGHT TEST WAS BEING CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS ON FILE. THE PILOT REPORTED NO INJURIES. THE LOCAL FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT BEMIDJI, MINNESOTA, AT 1740 CDT. IN HIS WRITTEN STATEMENT, THE PILOT SAID THAT FOLLOWING TAKEOFF AND RAISING THE LANDING GEAR, THE RED WARNING LIGHT IN THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE FAILED TO GO OUT. THE PILOT SAID THAT HE RECYCLED THE LANDING GEAR, BUT COULD NOT GET THE RED LIGHT TO GO OUT. THE PILOT SAID THAT HE CONTINUED WITH THE TEST FLIGHT. ON HIS RETURN TO THE AIRPORT THE PILOT SAID HE PUT THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE DOWN AND NOTHING HAPPENED. HE RECYCLED THE HANDLE TWO ADDITIONAL TIMES WITH NO RESULTS. THE PILOT OVERFLEW THE AIRPORT AND CONFIRMED WITH HIS COMPANY'S MAINTENANCE THAT THE LANDING GEAR WERE STILL UP. THE PILOT SAID THAT HE THEN MANUALLY PUMPED THE LANDING GEAR DOWN, BUT ONLY THE NOSE GEAR AND RIGHT MAIN GEAR GREEN INDICATOR LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE PILOT OVERFLEW THE AIRPORT AGAIN. HIS COMPANY'S MAINTENANCE TOLD HIM THAT THE THREE GEAR WERE DOWN. THE PILOT CAME IN TO LAND. HE SAID THAT HE TOUCHED DOWN ON THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR FIRST, AND THEN GENTLY LOWERED THE LEFT MAIN GEAR TO THE RUNWAY. THE LANDING GEAR HELD. THE PILOT SAID HE THEN TRIED TO APPLY SOME REVERSE THRUST. SUDDENLY, THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED, AND THE LEFT WING STRUCK THE RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE SLID OFF OF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND CAME TO A STOP IN THE GRASS. (-23) DURING MAINTENANCE TEST FLIGHT PILOT CYCLED LANDING GEAR UP. GEAR "IN-TRANSIT" LIGHT STAYED ON. PILOT CYCLED GEAR DOWN AND OBTAINED 3 GREEN LIGHTS. PILOT CYCLED GEAR BACK UP AND THE GEAR IN-TRANSIT LIGHT AGAIN STAYED ON. PILOT COMPLETED MAINTENANCE TEST FLIGHT AND UPON SELECTING GEAR DOWN FOR THE LANDING THE GEAR DID NOT EXTEND. PILOT MANUALLY EXTENDED GEAR AND OBTAINED GREEN LIGHTS FOR THE NOSE AND RIGHT MAIN GEAR. PILOT OVERFLEW AIRPORT TO GET VISUAL CONFIRMATION FROM TEH GROUND THAT THE LEFT GEAR WAS DOWN. DURING ROLL OUT THE PILOT APPLIED REVERSE THRUST AND AT THAT TIME THE LEFT GEAR COLLAPSED. THE A/C SLID OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY ONTO THE GRASS DAMAGING THE LEFT PROP, ENGINE, EXHAUST DUCT, GEAR DOWN, OTBD 2 FEET OF THE WING, AILERON, BOTH FLAPS,REAR SPAR AND MAINSPAR WHERE THE GEAR ACTUATOR ATTACHES.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.