20080117832819I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 402C · Anchorage, AK · January 17, 2008

Date: January 17, 2008
Place: Anchorage, AK
Airport: Ted Stevens Anchorage International
Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: ACSA
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N419RC
Reported as: Cessna 402C
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 12,300 total0 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days

N419RCRegistration cancelled Jul 8, 2009 · Cessna 402CS/N 402C0419 · Built 1980 Airframe modelCessna 402C Engine modelContinental TSIO-520 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) After take-off from cordova the pilot retracted the landing gear and the nose gear green down and locked light remained illuminated. He cycled the gear several times but the nose gear light was continuously illuminated whether up or down. On landing at Anchorage international he held the nose off as long as he could. When the nose gear touched down and began to bear weight it collapsed onto the nose cone and caused both propellers to strike the runway. The nose gear actuator was found to be internally corroded and full of contaminants caused by entry of dirt and water around the switch attach point. A service bulletin was previously issued to seal the switch with a specified sealant. The repair station stated that it appeared the actuator was not removed when the sealant was applied to this specific actuator.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AFTER TAKE-OFF FROM CORDOVA THE PILOT RETRACTED THE LANDING GEAR AND THE NOSE GEAR GREEN DOWN AND LOCKED LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED. HE CYCLED THE GEAR SEVERAL TIMES BUT THE NOSE GEAR LIGHT WAS CONTINUOUSLY ILLUMINATED WHETHER UP OR DOWN. ON LANDING AT ANCHORAGE INTERNATIONAL HE HELD THE NOSE OFF AS LONG AS HE COULD. WHEN THE NOSE GEAR TOUCHED DOWN AND BEGAN TO BEAR WEIGHT IT COLLAPSED ONTO THE NOSE CONE AND CAUSED BOTH PROPELLERS TO STRIKE THE RUNWAY. THE NOSE GEAR ACTUATOR WAS FOUND TO BE INTERNALLY CORRODED AND FULL OF CONTAMINANTS CAUSED BY ENTRY OF DIRT AND WATER AROUND THE SWITCH ATTACH POINT. A SERVICE BULLETIN WAS PREVIOUSLY ISSUED TO SEAL THE SWITCH WITH A SPECIFIED SEALANT. THE REPAIR STATION STATED THAT IT APPEARED THE ACTUATOR WAS NOT REMOVED WHEN THE SEALANT WAS APPLIED TO THIS SPECIFIC ACTUATOR.