20030309010649I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Amtr Glasairiii · Phoenix, AZ · March 9, 2003

Date: March 9, 2003 · 18:36 local
Place: Phoenix, AZ
Airport: Williams Gateway Airport
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N307SH
Reported as: Amtr Glasairiii
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 13,300 total30 in this make and model16 in the last 90 days

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 March 9, 2003 at approximately 1630 MST, the aircraft departed ffz on a local pleasure flight. After take-off and the landing gear had been retracted, the nose landing gear in transit indication light stayed illuminated. Viewing through an external mounted mirror, the nose gear appeared to be fully retracted. The flight continued and during a 3G maneuver an unusual noise was heard. A visual examination via the mirror showed that the nose gear was hanging out of the wheel well at about a 45 degree angle. Several attempts to obtain a down and locked landing gear indication failed. The pilot elected to land gear up at iwa. Minor aircraft damage. No injuries to the occupants. An investigation showed that the nose gear hydraulic actuator piston failed in the threaded area of the rod end bearing attachment.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON MARCH 9, 2003 AT APPROXIMATELY 1630 MST, THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED FFZ ON A LOCAL PLEASURE FLIGHT. AFTER TAKE-OFF AND THE LANDING GEAR HAD BEEN RETRACTED, THE NOSE LANDING GEAR IN TRANSIT INDICATION LIGHT STAYED ILLUMINATED. VIEWING THROUGH AN EXTERNAL MOUNTED MIRROR, THE NOSE GEAR APPEARED TO BE FULLY RETRACTED. THE FLIGHT CONTINUED AND DURING A 3G MANEUVER AN UNUSUAL NOISE WAS HEARD. A VISUAL EXAMINATION VIA THE MIRROR SHOWED THAT THE NOSE GEAR WAS HANGING OUT OF THE WHEEL WELL AT ABOUT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE. SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO OBTAIN A DOWN AND LOCKED LANDING GEAR INDICATION FAILED. THE PILOT ELECTED TO LAND GEAR UP AT IWA. MINOR AIRCRAFT DAMAGE. NO INJURIES TO THE OCCUPANTS. AN INVESTIGATION SHOWED THAT THE NOSE GEAR HYDRAULIC ACTUATOR PISTON FAILED IN THE THREADED AREA OF THE ROD END BEARING ATTACHMENT.