19990604006509A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Gulstm 500RKWELL · Effingham, IL · June 4, 1999

Date
June 4, 1999 · 09:30 local
Place
Effingham, IL
Airport
Effingham County Memorial Airport
Phase of flight
Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N711NE
NTSB investigation
NTSBCHI99LA173
Reported as
Gulstm 500RKWELL
Reported engine
Lycoming O540A2B
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.

Acft landing gear collapsed on landing. (.19)on June 4, 1999, at 0930 central daylight time, an aero commander 500, N711NE, owned and piloted by a privat pilot, received substantial damage during a wheels-up landing on runway 29 (5,100 feet x 75 feet dry/concrete) at Effingham County Memorial Airport, Effingham, Illinois. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR part 91 flight was operating on an instrument flight rule (IFR) flight plan. The pilot reported no injuires. The business flight originated sumner county reginal airport, gallatin, Tennessee en route to Effingham County Memorial Airport. The pilot reported that while in the traffic pattern he had lowered the landing gear and completed a checklist consisting of seven items, one of which was the landing gear. He stated that on the base leg he began to add flaps. He reported that he touched down on runways centerline; at high point, he began to hear a low vibration. He added that when the throttles were retarded to the idle position, the gear warning horn sounded which he initially thought was the stall warning horn. The pilot stated that during the aircraft's recovery, he had selected tha master switch to the "on" position, and the landing gear warning horn sounded. He then stated that when he lowered the landing gear handle the landing gear extended. The pilot described the placement of the flap control and landing gear control as being separated by a distance of approximately five inches. (-23) on June 4 at approximately 0930, while on a personal business flight the pilot in command was landing on runway 29 at Effingham County Memorial Airport. The first thing the pilot noticed upon touchdown was a scraping noise. The pilot and sole occupant, exited the aircraft and noticed the landing gear completely up in the wheel wells. The pilot in command re-entered the aircraft and found the landing gear handle in the up position. He then placed it in the down position and the landing gear dropped out of the wells. When the aircraft was lifted off the runway the landing gear continued to free fall to the down and locked position.

As the FAA filed it

ACFT LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED ON LANDING. (.19)ON JUNE 4, 1999, AT 0930 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, AN AERO COMMANDER 500, N711NE, OWNED AND PILOTED BY A PRIVAT PILOT, RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE DURING A WHEELS-UP LANDING ON RUNWAY 29 (5,100 FEET X 75 FEET DRY/CONCRETE) AT EFFINGHAM COUNTY MEMORIAL AIRPORT, EFFINGHAM, ILLINOIS. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE 14 CFR PART 91 FLIGHT WAS OPERATING ON AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULE (IFR) FLIGHT PLAN. THE PILOT REPORTED NO INJUIRES. THE BUSINESS FLIGHT ORIGINATED SUMNER COUNTY REGINAL AIRPORT, GALLATIN, TENNESSEE EN ROUTE TO EFFINGHAM COUNTY MEMORIAL AIRPORT. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT WHILE IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN HE HAD LOWERED THE LANDING GEAR AND COMPLETED A CHECKLIST CONSISTING OF SEVEN ITEMS, ONE OF WHICH WAS THE LANDING GEAR. HE STATED THAT ON THE BASE LEG HE BEGAN TO ADD FLAPS. HE REPORTED THAT HE TOUCHED DOWN ON RUNWAYS CENTERLINE; AT HIGH POINT, HE BEGAN TO HEAR A LOW VIBRATION. HE ADDED THAT WHEN THE THROTTLES WERE RETARDED TO THE IDLE POSITION, THE GEAR WARNING HORN SOUNDED WHICH HE INITIALLY THOUGHT WAS THE STALL WARNING HORN. THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING THE AIRCRAFT'S RECOVERY, HE HAD SELECTED THA MASTER SWITCH TO THE "ON" POSITION, AND THE LANDING GEAR WARNING HORN SOUNDED. HE THEN STATED THAT WHEN HE LOWERED THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE THE LANDING GEAR EXTENDED. THE PILOT DESCRIBED THE PLACEMENT OF THE FLAP CONTROL AND LANDING GEAR CONTROL AS BEING SEPARATED BY A DISTANCE OF APPROXIMATELY FIVE INCHES. (-23) ON JUNE 4 AT APPROXIMATELY 0930, WHILE ON A PERSONAL BUSINESS FLIGHT THE PILOT IN COMMAND WAS LANDING ON RUNWAY 29 AT EFFINGHAM COUNTY MEMORIAL AIRPORT. THE FIRST THING THE PILOT NOTICED UPON TOUCHDOWN WAS A SCRAPING NOISE. THE PILOT AND SOLE OCCUPANT, EXITED THE AIRCRAFT AND NOTICED THE LANDING GEAR COMPLETELY UP IN THE WHEEL WELLS. THE PILOT IN COMMAND RE-ENTERED THE AIRCRAFT AND FOUND THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE IN THE UP POSITION. HE THEN PLACED IT IN THE DOWN POSITION AND THE LANDING GEAR DROPPED OUT OF THE WELLS. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIFTED OFF THE RUNWAY THE LANDING GEAR CONTINUED TO FREE FALL TO THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION.

NTSB investigation

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