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20061123025189I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Beech F35 · Stuart, FL · November 23, 2006

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
November 23, 2006 · 09:30 local
Place
Stuart, FL
Airport
Witham Field Airport
Phase of flight
Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N4261B
Reported as
Beech F35
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
30,000 total500 in this make and model30 in the last 90 days
N4261BRegistration cancelled Sep 6, 2019 · Beech F35S/N D-4238 · Built 1955Airframe modelBeech F35Engine modelContinental E225 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) On November 23, 2006, at approximately 0930 eastern standard time a Beechcraft F35, registration N4261B, serial number D-4238, departed Witham field located in Stuart Florida. The flight was a 14 CFR 91 flight with only the commercial rated pilot on board. The aircraft landed on runway 30. The weather was clear with light winds. As the aircraft touched down the pilot began to feel the aircraft turn towards the left. The pilot was able to control the aircraft off the runway and onto taxiway delta. The pilot stated that the landing indicating system showed that the gear was in a safe and down position. There were no injuries. The main landing gear doors were positioned in the up position, which allowed left main gear to fold onto the gear door. Subsequently the aircraft skidded on the collapsed left main landing gear and the left fully extended flap assembly. The left brake caliper was ground down during the landing event. There was minimal scraping of the left aileron. The pilot stated that he departed runway 30 and flew to the west to "warm the oil". He reported a postive take-off with no abnormalities. The landing event to runway 30 was uneventful up to the collapse of the left gear. The pilot's seat was removed to gain access to the landing gear retraction system. The left retract rod assembly was bent upward at the retraction gearbox. The retraction rod was removed for further inspection. The retraction rod assembly was found to have moderate surface corrosion. Next, the spring and slider assembly was removed. The spring was found to have moderate corrosion as well as the slider assembly. The slider assembly was very difficult to move and felt partially frozen. Moderate corrosion was found on the inner diameter of the actuation rod assembly and the outer diameter of the slider assembly. The slider assembly exhibited signs of galling as well. There was no apparent sings of lubrication in any of the disassembled parts. The lack of lubrication contributed to the formation of corrosion on the actuating rod, spring and slider assembly. The partially frozen slider assembly may have created a condition that led to the bending of the gear-actuating rod during the retraction cycle, completely unknown to the pilot. Upon extension, the pilot would have seen a safe condition due to the switches being located on the gearbox assembly and not the landing gear itself. The bent rod would have prevented the movement of the left gear into the over center position leaving an unknown and unsafe condition.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON NOVEMBER 23, 2006, AT APPROXIMATELY 0930 EASTERN STANDARD TIME A BEECHCRAFT F35, REGISTRATION N4261B, SERIAL NUMBER D-4238, DEPARTED WITHAM FIELD LOCATED IN STUART FLORIDA. THE FLIGHT WAS A 14 CFR 91 FLIGHT WITH ONLY THE COMMERCIAL RATED PILOT ON BOARD. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED ON RUNWAY 30. THE WEATHER WAS CLEAR WITH LIGHT WINDS. AS THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN THE PILOT BEGAN TO FEEL THE AIRCRAFT TURN TOWARDS THE LEFT. THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO CONTROL THE AIRCRAFT OFF THE RUNWAY AND ONTO TAXIWAY DELTA. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE LANDING INDICATING SYSTEM SHOWED THAT THE GEAR WAS IN A SAFE AND DOWN POSITION. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE MAIN LANDING GEAR DOORS WERE POSITIONED IN THE UP POSITION, WHICH ALLOWED LEFT MAIN GEAR TO FOLD ONTO THE GEAR DOOR. SUBSEQUENTLY THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED ON THE COLLAPSED LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR AND THE LEFT FULLY EXTENDED FLAP ASSEMBLY. THE LEFT BRAKE CALIPER WAS GROUND DOWN DURING THE LANDING EVENT. THERE WAS MINIMAL SCRAPING OF THE LEFT AILERON. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE DEPARTED RUNWAY 30 AND FLEW TO THE WEST TO "WARM THE OIL". HE REPORTED A POSTIVE TAKE-OFF WITH NO ABNORMALITIES. THE LANDING EVENT TO RUNWAY 30 WAS UNEVENTFUL UP TO THE COLLAPSE OF THE LEFT GEAR. THE PILOT'S SEAT WAS REMOVED TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTION SYSTEM. THE LEFT RETRACT ROD ASSEMBLY WAS BENT UPWARD AT THE RETRACTION GEARBOX. THE RETRACTION ROD WAS REMOVED FOR FURTHER INSPECTION. THE RETRACTION ROD ASSEMBLY WAS FOUND TO HAVE MODERATE SURFACE CORROSION. NEXT, THE SPRING AND SLIDER ASSEMBLY WAS REMOVED. THE SPRING WAS FOUND TO HAVE MODERATE CORROSION AS WELL AS THE SLIDER ASSEMBLY. THE SLIDER ASSEMBLY WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO MOVE AND FELT PARTIALLY FROZEN. MODERATE CORROSION WAS FOUND ON THE INNER DIAMETER OF THE ACTUATION ROD ASSEMBLY AND THE OUTER DIAMETER OF THE SLIDER ASSEMBLY. THE SLIDER ASSEMBLY EXHIBITED SIGNS OF GALLING AS WELL. THERE WAS NO APPARENT SINGS OF LUBRICATION IN ANY OF THE DISASSEMBLED PARTS. THE LACK OF LUBRICATION CONTRIBUTED TO THE FORMATION OF CORROSION ON THE ACTUATING ROD, SPRING AND SLIDER ASSEMBLY. THE PARTIALLY FROZEN SLIDER ASSEMBLY MAY HAVE CREATED A CONDITION THAT LED TO THE BENDING OF THE GEAR-ACTUATING ROD DURING THE RETRACTION CYCLE, COMPLETELY UNKNOWN TO THE PILOT. UPON EXTENSION, THE PILOT WOULD HAVE SEEN A SAFE CONDITION DUE TO THE SWITCHES BEING LOCATED ON THE GEARBOX ASSEMBLY AND NOT THE LANDING GEAR ITSELF. THE BENT ROD WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THE MOVEMENT OF THE LEFT GEAR INTO THE OVER CENTER POSITION LEAVING AN UNKNOWN AND UNSAFE CONDITION.