# Accident 19990528017599A: Cessna T303, Houston, TX, May 28, 1999 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: May 28, 1999, 16:00 local time - Place: Houston, TX - Airport: West Houston-Lakeside Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing) - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 29.6108° N, 95.1201° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.6108&lon=-95.1201&mi=10 - Aircraft: N400T, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N400T-2004-07-27) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Cessna T303 (registry code 2073820, https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-t303) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: TCM Cont TSIO-520 series (registry code 17060, https://openairdocs.org/engine/tcm-cont-tsio-520-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CESSNA T303 - Reported engine: CONT TSIO520AE - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 4,769 total, 910 in this make and model, 60 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW99LA184](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW99LA184) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990528017599A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (.19)ON MAY 28, 1999, AT 1600 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME A CESSNA T303 MULTI-ENGINE AIRPLANE, N400T, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN THE NOSE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED UPON LANDING AT THE WEST HOUSTON AIRPORT, NEAR HOUSTON, TEXAS. THE INSTRUMENT RATED COMMERCIAL PILOT, SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRPLANE, WAS NOT INJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS REGISTERED TO PLAZA ONE INC., AND OPERATED BY A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE 14 CFR PART 91 PERSONAL FLIGHT AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED. THE LOCAL FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM THE GEORGE BUSH INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT, HOUSTON TEXAS, AT 1550. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE FLEW A VISUAL APPROACH TO RUNWAY 33. HE STATED THAT HE LOWERED THE LANDING GEAR AND VISUALLY CONFIMED THAT THE THREE GREEN LIGHTS ILLUMINATED, INDICATING THAT THE GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. FURTHERMORE, HE VISUALLY CONFIRMED, BY WAY OF A MIRROR ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE AIRPLANE, THAT THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WAS EXTENDED. THE MAIN LANDING GEAR CONTACTED THE RUNWAY AND THE PILOT BEGAN TO "RELEASE ELEVATOR PRESSURE." THE NOSE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED AS IT CAME INTO CONTACT WITH THE RUNWAY SURFACE. THE AIRPLANE SKIDDED 300 FEET AND CAME TO REST UPRIGHT ON THE RUNWAY. AN FAA EXAMINER EXAMINED THE AIRPLANE AND STATED THAT THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WAS DAMAGED AND THE PROPELLERS ON EACH OF THE ENGINES WERE BENT. THE BULKHEAD LOCATED IN THE NOSE CONE WAS STRUCTURALLY DAMAGED. AN FAA CERTIFIED MECHANIC ADDED THAT THE DAMAGED BULKHEAD WAS NOT REPAIRABLE. (.4)THE NOSE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED UPON LANDING. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE OBSERVED THE ILLUMINATED THREE GREEN LANDING GEAR POSITION LIGHTS, AFTER HE EXTENDED THE LANDING GEAR ON THE DOWNWIND LEG. HE VISUALLY CONFIRMED THAT THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WAS EXTENDED BY REFERENCING A MIRROR MOUNTED ON THE LEFT ENGINE NACELLE. THE MAIN LANDING GEAR CONTACTED THE RUNWAY, AND THE PILOT BEGAN TO 'RELEASE ELEVATOR BACK PRESSURE.' SUBSEQUENTLY, THE NOSE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED WHEN IT CONTACTED THE RUNWAY. AN EXAMINATION OF THE HYDRAULIC LANDING GEAR SYSTEM, BY AN FAA CERTIFIED MECHANIC, REVEALED THAT THE OPERATING PRESSURE WAS 'WITHIN MANUFACTURER'S TOLERANCES AT 850 PSI AND THE FLUID LEVEL WAS NORMAL.' THE REASON FOR THE COLLAPSE OF THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WAS NOT DETERMINED. (-23)PILOT PROVIDED WRITTEN STATEMENT WHICH SAID THAT HE HAD FULL FLAPS AND THREE GREEN LIGHTS ON GEAR INDICATORS WITH VISUAL CONFIRMATION IN MIRROR OF NOSE WHEEL DOWN. DURING LANDING ROLLOUT, AS BACK PRESSURE ON ELEVATOR RELEASED, THE NOSEWHEEL TOUCHED DOWN AND COLLAPSED, CAUSING THE AIRPLANE TO SKID ON NOSE AND MAIN GEAR FOR ABOUT 600 FEET. POST ACCIDENT INSPECTION REVEALED NO LANDING GEAR DISCREPANCIES. RE-EXAMINATION PLANNED ON SINGLE-PILOT CRM, COCKPIT HOUSEKEEPING AND NTSB REPORTING REQUIREMENTS PILOT DID NOT REPORT THE ACCIDENT UNTIL 6/15/99. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB FTW99LA184](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW99LA184), May 28, 1999: Cessna T303 (N400T), Houston, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The collapse of the nose landing gear for an undetermined reason. From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.