# Accident 20011026036889A: Beech 58, Farmington, NM, October 26, 2001 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: October 26, 2001, 15:30 local time - Place: Farmington, NM - Airport: Four Corners Regional Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 36.4750° N, 108.7967° W: From the FAA - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.4750&lon=-108.7967&mi=10 - Aircraft: N8117V, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8117V-2010-08-30) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Beech 58 (registry code 1152740, https://openairdocs.org/model/beech-58) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Continental IO-550 series (registry code 17042, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-550-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BEECH 58 - Reported engine: CONT IO550C - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 1,957 total, 150 in this make and model - NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW02LA074](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW02LA074) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20011026036889A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (.19) ON OCTOBER 26, 2001, AT 1628 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, A BEECH 58 MULTI-ENGINE AIRPLANE, N8117V WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING AN EMERGENCY LANDING FOLLOWING A NOSE LANDING GEAR MALFUNCTION AT THE FOUR CORNERS REGIONAL AIRPORT (FMN), FARMINGTON, NEW MEXICO. THE AIRPLANE WAS REGISTERED TO SAN JUAN PILOT TRAINING INC., OF FARMINGTON, NEW MEXICO, AND OPERATED BY MESA PILOT DEVELOPMENT CENTER OF FARMINGTON. THE CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI) AND COMMERCIAL PILOT RECEIVING INSTRUCTION WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED FOR THE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT. THE LOCAL FLIGHT HAD ORIGINATED FROM FMN APPROXIMATELY 1500. ACCORDING TO THE CHIEF FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR, WHO WITNESSED THE EMERGENCY LANDING AND SPOKE WITH THE CFI FOLLOWING THE LANDING, WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH TO FMN, THEY RECEIVED A NOSE LANDING GEAR (NLG) UNSAFE INDICATION. THE CFI ABANDONED THE APPROACH AND EXECUTED A GO-AROUND. THE CFI THEN PERFORMED A FLY-BY OF THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER (ATCT). THE ATCT PERSONNEL REPORTED THAT THE GEAR WAS HANGING AT A 45-DEGREE ANGLE AND DID NOT APPEAR TO BE IN THE LOCKED POSITION. THE CFI AND PILOT RECEIVING INSTRUCTION ATTEMPTED TO CYCLE THE GEAR AND PERFORMED THE EMERGENCY MANUAL GEAR EXTENSION PROCEDURES; HOWEVER, THEY WERE UNABLE TO CLEAR THE NLG UNSAFE INDICATION. SUBSEQUENTLY, THEY EXECUTED AN EMERGENCY LANDING TO RUNWAY 29, WHICH IS A DIRT RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN ON BOTH MAIN LANDING GEAR AND THE NLG COLLAPSED WHEN IT MADE GROUND CONTACT WITH THE SOFT DIRT. ACCORDING TO A REPAIR FACILITY, BULKHEADS IN THE NOSE STRUCTURE OF THE AIRPLANE WERE STRUCTURALLY DAMAGED AND REQUIRE REPLACEMENT. THE NTSB WAS INITIALLY NOTIFIED OF THE EVENT AFTER IT OCCURRED IN OCTOBER; HOWEVER, THE DAMAGE WAS REPORTED AS MINOR. SUBSEQUENTLY, ON JANUARY 26, 2002, THE NTSB RECEIVED A REPORT FROM THE FAA INDICATING THE DAMAGE WAS SUBSTANTIAL. (-23) ON APPROACH TO FARMINGTON NM AIRPORT, AIRCRAFT N8117V, A BARON MODEL 58 COULD NOT EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR. THE MAIN GEAR WAS MANUALLY CRANKED DOWN/LOCKED BUT THE NOSE GEAR DID NOT INDICATE LOCKED. PILOT ELECTED TO LAND ON BOTH MAIN GEARS ON DIRT RWY. MAJOR DAMAGE TO AIRCRAFT AND NO INJURIES TO PILOT OR PASSENGER. (.4) ON OCTOBER 26, 2001, AT 1530 MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A BEECH 58 TWIN-ENGINE AIRPLANE, N8117V, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN THE NOSE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED WHILE LANDING AT THE FOUR CORNERS REGIONAL AIRPORT (FMN), FARMINGTON, NEW MEXICO. THE AIRPLANE WAS REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY SAN JUAN PILOT TRAINING INC., OF FARMINGTON, NEW MEXICO, DOING BUSINESS AS MESA PILOT DEVELOPMENT CENTER. THE CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI) AND COMMERCIAL PILOT RECEIVING INSTRUCTION WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND A FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED FOR THE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT. THE LOCAL FLIGHT HAD ORIGINATED FROM FMN AT 1400. ACCORDING TO THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND PILOT RECEIVING INSTRUCTION, THEY EXECUTED A LOW APPROACH TO RUNWAY 07 AT FMN AND INITIATED A GO-AROUND. A CLIMB WAS INITIATED AND WHEN THE GEAR WAS RETRACTED A "LOUD BANG OR CLANK," WAS HEARD. THE LANDING GEAR IN-TRANSIT LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED AND THE FLIGHT PROCEEDED TO A PRACTICE AREA WHERE THE PILOTS CONSULTED WITH THE FLIGHT SCHOOL'S MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL VIA RADIO. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE PILOTS PERFORMED THE MANUAL GEAR EXTENSION PROCEDURES, WHICH RESULTED IN TWO GREEN LIGHTS FOR THE MAIN LANDING GEAR; HOWEVER, THE LANDING GEAR IN-TRANSIT LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED AND THERE WAS NO GREEN LIGHT FOR THE NOSE LANDING GEAR. THEY PUSHED THE ANNUNCIATOR TEST BUTTON TO ENSURE THAT THE COCKPIT NOSE GEAR LIGHT BULB WAS OPERATIONAL, AND IT ILLUMINATED. THE FLIGHT THEN RETURNED TO FMN AND EXECUTED A LOW PASS NEAR THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER (ATCT). ATCT PERSONNEL REPORTED THAT BOTH MAIN LANDING GEAR APPEARED DOWN AND LOCKED, BUT THE NOSE LANDING GEAR APPEARED TO BE PARTIALLY EXTENDED. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRPLANE LANDED ON RUNWAY 11, AND WHEN THE NOSE GEAR MADE GROUND CONTACT, IT COLLAPSED. THE AIRPLANE WAS EXAMINED BY AN FAA INSPECTOR AND IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE NOSE GEAR ACTUATOR RETRACT ARM (PART NUMBER 104-820050-3) HAD FRACTURED AND WAS IN TWO PIECES. ACCORDING TO A REPAIR FACILITY, BULKHEADS IN THE NOSE STRUCTURE OF THE AIRPLANE WERE STRUCTURALLY DAMAGED AND REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. THE NOSE GEAR ACTUATOR RETRACT ARM WAS EXAMINED AT THE NTSB MATERIALS LABORATORY IN WASHINGTON, D.C. THE UPPER PORTION OF THE RETRACT ARM DISPLAYED TWO SEPARATE AREAS (UPPER LEFT AND UPPER RIGHT), WITH SURFACE FEATURES THAT ARE CONSISTENT WITH FATIGUE. THE UPPER FRACTURE SURFACE WAS EXAMINED WITH A SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE (SEM). THE FRACTURED SURFACE EXHIBITED A FATIGUE STRIATION PATTERN THAT EMANATED FROM MULTIPLE ORIGINS THAT WERE ORIENTED ALONG MACHINING MARKS ON ITS UPPER EDGE. THE LOWER PORTION OF THE RETRACT ARM ALSO DISPLAYED FEATURES CONSISTENT WITH FATIGUE. ## 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 FTW02LA074](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW02LA074), Oct 26, 2001: Beech 58 (N8117V), Farmington, NM, substantial damage. Probable cause: The failure of the nose gear actuator retract arm due to fatigue. ## Other reports on N8117V (2) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 20040614011959I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040614011959I), Jun 14, 2004: Beech 58 (N8117V), Farmington, NM, Minor damage. (-23) On June 14, 2004, at 1330 MDT, a Beech baron, BE-58, N8117V, registered to san juan pilot training, inc., and operated by mesa pilot development center,… - [Incident 19970328009649I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970328009649I), Mar 28, 1997: Beech 58 (N8117V), Farmington, NM, Minor damage. Narrative: during applicant check-out in a Beech baron, a/c performed a touch and go. After landing applicant inadvertently raised landing gear instead of… 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.