20110215001569I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Beech 76 · Fort Lauderdale, FL · February 15, 2011

Date
February 15, 2011 · 18:05 local
Place
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Airport
Fort Lauderdale Executive Airp
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
Pilot school (Part 141)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N6637L
Reported as
Beech 76
Reported engine
Lycoming O&VO-360 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
5,000 total400 in this make and model10 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.

On February 15, 2011, at approximately 1805 hours aircraft Beechcraft BE-76, N6637L, s/n ME-262, landed on runway 8 at Fort Lauderdale executive airport (fxe). The certified flight instructor stated that the aircraft was on a 14CFR part 141 instructional flight returning back to fxe. The instructor and the student were practicing slow flight in the landing configuration and shooting the LOC 15 at pompano beach airpark (pmp) and the ILS 8 at fxe. Upon reaching the final approach fixed at fxe, the student lowered the landing gear handle and set the flaps to 10 degrees. The student stated only two greens, and the gear in transition light was still illuminated. At this time the instructor took control of the aircraft. The instructor called the tower and informed them that they had a problem and told the tower that they were going to the practice area to sort out the problem and will let them know about it. They referenced the emergency checklist and ran through item by item. They recycled the landing gear at least 10 times, completed the emergency landing gear extension at least 10 times. However, the landing gear in transition light was still on and the nose landing gear lock light was off. At this time another aircraft was dispatched from the school to verify the actual position of the landing gear. The crew of the second aircraft stated that the left nose landing gear door was "ajar" and the right one was completely closed. The instructor tried using the rudder, dive, pull up, steep turns, but the nose landing gear will not come down. Upon returning to fxe completed two fly-bys the tower and both time the instructor was told that the nose landing gear was not visible. The instructor requested the tower to position the fire trucks by runway 8. The instructor performed the emergency landing checklist one more time. On short final the props were feathered, the mixture control was pulled to the off position, and held the nose off as long as it would stay up. The aircraft touched down on the mains, without the props striking the ground. The aircraft skidded about 200-300 feet on the main gears and the fiberglass nose. When the aircraft came to rest all on board left the aircraft. There were no injuries and only minor damage to the fiberglass portion of the nose of the aircraft and to the front portion of both nose landing gear doors. At this time the aircraft is still out of service. Once all the financial arrangements are completed the aircraft will be placed into the repair shop. A follow up to this investigation will be conducted to determine what prevented the nose landing gear from extending to the down and lock position. Ptrs 201115304 was opened to track the follow up action.

As the FAA filed it

ON FEBRUARY 15, 2011, AT APPROXIMATELY 1805 HOURS AIRCRAFT BEECHCRAFT BE-76, N6637L, S/N ME-262, LANDED ON RUNWAY 8 AT FORT LAUDERDALE EXECUTIVE AIRPORT (FXE). THE CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON A 14CFR PART 141 INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT RETURNING BACK TO FXE. THE INSTRUCTOR AND THE STUDENT WERE PRACTICING SLOW FLIGHT IN THE LANDING CONFIGURATION AND SHOOTING THE LOC 15 AT POMPANO BEACH AIRPARK (PMP) AND THE ILS 8 AT FXE. UPON REACHING THE FINAL APPROACH FIXED AT FXE, THE STUDENT LOWERED THE LANDING GEAR HANDLE AND SET THE FLAPS TO 10 DEGREES. THE STUDENT STATED ONLY TWO GREENS, AND THE GEAR IN TRANSITION LIGHT WAS STILL ILLUMINATED. AT THIS TIME THE INSTRUCTOR TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE INSTRUCTOR CALLED THE TOWER AND INFORMED THEM THAT THEY HAD A PROBLEM AND TOLD THE TOWER THAT THEY WERE GOING TO THE PRACTICE AREA TO SORT OUT THE PROBLEM AND WILL LET THEM KNOW ABOUT IT. THEY REFERENCED THE EMERGENCY CHECKLIST AND RAN THROUGH ITEM BY ITEM. THEY RECYCLED THE LANDING GEAR AT LEAST 10 TIMES, COMPLETED THE EMERGENCY LANDING GEAR EXTENSION AT LEAST 10 TIMES. HOWEVER, THE LANDING GEAR IN TRANSITION LIGHT WAS STILL ON AND THE NOSE LANDING GEAR LOCK LIGHT WAS OFF. AT THIS TIME ANOTHER AIRCRAFT WAS DISPATCHED FROM THE SCHOOL TO VERIFY THE ACTUAL POSITION OF THE LANDING GEAR. THE CREW OF THE SECOND AIRCRAFT STATED THAT THE LEFT NOSE LANDING GEAR DOOR WAS "AJAR" AND THE RIGHT ONE WAS COMPLETELY CLOSED. THE INSTRUCTOR TRIED USING THE RUDDER, DIVE, PULL UP, STEEP TURNS, BUT THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WILL NOT COME DOWN. UPON RETURNING TO FXE COMPLETED TWO FLY-BYS THE TOWER AND BOTH TIME THE INSTRUCTOR WAS TOLD THAT THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WAS NOT VISIBLE. THE INSTRUCTOR REQUESTED THE TOWER TO POSITION THE FIRE TRUCKS BY RUNWAY 8. THE INSTRUCTOR PERFORMED THE EMERGENCY LANDING CHECKLIST ONE MORE TIME. ON SHORT FINAL THE PROPS WERE FEATHERED, THE MIXTURE CONTROL WAS PULLED TO THE OFF POSITION, AND HELD THE NOSE OFF AS LONG AS IT WOULD STAY UP. THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN ON THE MAINS, WITHOUT THE PROPS STRIKING THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED ABOUT 200-300 FEET ON THE MAIN GEARS AND THE FIBERGLASS NOSE. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ALL ON BOARD LEFT THE AIRCRAFT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND ONLY MINOR DAMAGE TO THE FIBERGLASS PORTION OF THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT AND TO THE FRONT PORTION OF BOTH NOSE LANDING GEAR DOORS. AT THIS TIME THE AIRCRAFT IS STILL OUT OF SERVICE. ONCE ALL THE FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS ARE COMPLETED THE AIRCRAFT WILL BE PLACED INTO THE REPAIR SHOP. A FOLLOW UP TO THIS INVESTIGATION WILL BE CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE WHAT PREVENTED THE NOSE LANDING GEAR FROM EXTENDING TO THE DOWN AND LOCK POSITION. PTRS 201115304 WAS OPENED TO TRACK THE FOLLOW UP ACTION.