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.
(-23)Pilot/a&p, replaced shimmy dampner on nosewheel with bolt that was "one sixteenth of an inch too long", "about on thread too long" which allowed the gear to retract under hydraulic pressure, but did not allow it to extend by gravity freefall. Aircraft landed with nosewheel in the retracted position.
As the FAA filed it
(-23)PILOT/A&P, REPLACED SHIMMY DAMPNER ON NOSEWHEEL WITH BOLT THAT WAS "ONE SIXTEENTH OF AN INCH TOO LONG", "ABOUT ON THREAD TOO LONG" WHICH ALLOWED THE GEAR TO RETRACT UNDER HYDRAULIC PRESSURE, BUT DID NOT ALLOW IT TO EXTEND BY GRAVITY FREEFALL. AIRCRAFT LANDED WITH NOSEWHEEL IN THE RETRACTED POSITION.
Other reports on N977LB · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.