20030304002289I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Gulstm 500-B · Stockton, CA · March 4, 2003

Date: March 4, 2003 · 16:37 local
Place: Stockton, CA
Airport: Stockton Metropolitan
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N353CC
Reported as: Gulstm 500B
Reported engine: Lycoming IO540B1A5
Pilot’s flight hours: 387 total305 in this make and model13 in the last 90 days

N353CCRegistered now · Aero Commander 500-BS/N 500B-1230-105 · Built 1962 Airframe modelAero Commander 500-B Engine modelLycoming TI0-540 seriesTurbo-prop

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) On approach to sck, the pilot put the landing gear switch to the down position and received no green light for nose gear. He did one go around to try to get the nose gear to free fall into the lock position, but had no success. He then decided to land, putting the airplane on the main landing gear and rolling the length of the runway, coming to a grass area and gently let the nose down whereupon the nose landing gear folded and the aircraft skidded about 20 feet. Failure of nose landing gear to extend was attributed to a hydraulic hard line failure.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON APPROACH TO SCK, THE PILOT PUT THE LANDING GEAR SWITCH TO THE DOWN POSITION AND RECEIVED NO GREEN LIGHT FOR NOSE GEAR. HE DID ONE GO AROUND TO TRY TO GET THE NOSE GEAR TO FREE FALL INTO THE LOCK POSITION, BUT HAD NO SUCCESS. HE THEN DECIDED TO LAND, PUTTING THE AIRPLANE ON THE MAIN LANDING GEAR AND ROLLING THE LENGTH OF THE RUNWAY, COMING TO A GRASS AREA AND GENTLY LET THE NOSE DOWN WHEREUPON THE NOSE LANDING GEAR FOLDED AND THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED ABOUT 20 FEET. FAILURE OF NOSE LANDING GEAR TO EXTEND WAS ATTRIBUTED TO A HYDRAULIC HARD LINE FAILURE.