20030330011539I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Beech 95B55 · Beaumont Port A, TX · March 30, 2003

Date: March 30, 2003 · 11:41 local
Place: Beaumont Port A, TX
Airport: Jefferson County Airport
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N7651N
Reported as: Beech 95B55
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0

N7651NRegistered now · Beech 95-B55 (T42A)S/N TC-1148 · Built 1968 Airframe modelBeech 95-B55 (T42A)Engine modelContinental IO-470 seriesReciprocating

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) Following gear retraction, an electrical odor was observed by the pilot. She noted that the landing gear motor circuit breaker had popped. She reset the breaker one time and it popped again. She then followed the emergency gear extension procedure which required cranking the gear handle many times. The gear extended only partially. ATC noted on her flyby the tower that the gear was not fully extended. The pilot then landed the aircraft with partially extended gear causing minor damage to the belly of the aircraft, and damaging both propellers and both engines. Teardown of the landing gear motor revealed the armature had failed and was heated enough to freeze the armature in place. Repair of the landing gear motor is being investigated.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) FOLLOWING GEAR RETRACTION, AN ELECTRICAL ODOR WAS OBSERVED BY THE PILOT. SHE NOTED THAT THE LANDING GEAR MOTOR CIRCUIT BREAKER HAD POPPED. SHE RESET THE BREAKER ONE TIME AND IT POPPED AGAIN. SHE THEN FOLLOWED THE EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION PROCEDURE WHICH REQUIRED CRANKING THE GEAR HANDLE MANY TIMES. THE GEAR EXTENDED ONLY PARTIALLY. ATC NOTED ON HER FLYBY THE TOWER THAT THE GEAR WAS NOT FULLY EXTENDED. THE PILOT THEN LANDED THE AIRCRAFT WITH PARTIALLY EXTENDED GEAR CAUSING MINOR DAMAGE TO THE BELLY OF THE AIRCRAFT, AND DAMAGING BOTH PROPELLERS AND BOTH ENGINES. TEARDOWN OF THE LANDING GEAR MOTOR REVEALED THE ARMATURE HAD FAILED AND WAS HEATED ENOUGH TO FREEZE THE ARMATURE IN PLACE. REPAIR OF THE LANDING GEAR MOTOR IS BEING INVESTIGATED.