20081204852469I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 402C · Nantucket, MA · December 4, 2008

Date: December 4, 2008 · 16:23 local
Place: Nantucket, MA
Airport: Nantucket Memorial
Phase of flight: Taxi
Operating rules: Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator: Z4HC
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N79FC
Reported as: Cessna 402C
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 5,000 total2,000 in this make and model60 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) Pilot landed runway 24 in Nantucket, MA on 12/04/2008 at 1615 EST. After a normal landing the pilot slowed the aircraft to turn onto taxiway alpha. As the pilot pushed the rudder to turn the aircraft nose gear collapsed. It appears that the nose gear drag brace seized in the up and lock position. When the nose gear actuator pushed the nose gear down the aft left drag brace attachment broke. This put an undue strain on the nose gear actuator, twisting the rod end approximately 60 degrees until it failed. Once the actuator became separated from the drag brace the nose gear collapsed.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) PILOT LANDED RUNWAY 24 IN NANTUCKET, MA ON 12/04/2008 AT 1615 EST. AFTER A NORMAL LANDING THE PILOT SLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO TURN ONTO TAXIWAY ALPHA. AS THE PILOT PUSHED THE RUDDER TO TURN THE AIRCRAFT NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. IT APPEARS THAT THE NOSE GEAR DRAG BRACE SEIZED IN THE UP AND LOCK POSITION. WHEN THE NOSE GEAR ACTUATOR PUSHED THE NOSE GEAR DOWN THE AFT LEFT DRAG BRACE ATTACHMENT BROKE. THIS PUT AN UNDUE STRAIN ON THE NOSE GEAR ACTUATOR, TWISTING THE ROD END APPROXIMATELY 60 DEGREES UNTIL IT FAILED. ONCE THE ACTUATOR BECAME SEPARATED FROM THE DRAG BRACE THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED.