20120312004029I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Beech D-45 · Okeechobee, FL · March 12, 2012

Date
March 12, 2012 · 12:40 local
Place
Okeechobee, FL
Airport
Okeechobee County
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N8662E
Reported as
Beech D-45
Reported engine
Continental O-470 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
625 total125 in this make and model25 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.

An aircraft a BE-45 leaving from a previous airshow attended was traveling back to punta gorda and diverted into Okeechobee County Airport for low fuel indication. The pilot stated he had just departed from titusville with full fuel & no variations. The aircraft equipped with an electrically triggered fuel gauge in which now began to fluctuate. Upon approach and entering the downwind for landing, with three green lights, he then encountered an intermittent digital display and negative flap response in which are also electric. The aircraft landed without incident until he executed his roll out then the gear collapsed causing damage to inboard gear doors, nose doors, augmenter tubes and other minor miscellaneous damage as well as the belly antennas. However, the significant damage appears to be that of the propeller from striking the ground after the gear collapsed and before the aircraft came to rest. During removal from the taxiway and attempting to lock the gear down for transfer, the right gear appeared unsafe. Further inspection showed evidence of the right wheel well squat switch depressed as to why he may have had an unsafe indication in the cockpit. A preliminary visual inspection with the mechanic shows there may have been an electrical malfunction with a linear actuator within the system; it also is electrically driven and may be a contributing factor if electrical input was lost. While investigating a possible cause the records show this aircraft has had a modification by converting the electrical system from a generator type to an alternator type system and according to the owner has had previous malfunctions. The aircraft was repaired as required for a ferry flight and currently is under repair.

As the FAA filed it

AN AIRCRAFT A BE-45 LEAVING FROM A PREVIOUS AIRSHOW ATTENDED WAS TRAVELING BACK TO PUNTA GORDA AND DIVERTED INTO OKEECHOBEE COUNTY AIRPORT FOR LOW FUEL INDICATION. THE PILOT STATED HE HAD JUST DEPARTED FROM TITUSVILLE WITH FULL FUEL & NO VARIATIONS. THE AIRCRAFT EQUIPPED WITH AN ELECTRICALLY TRIGGERED FUEL GAUGE IN WHICH NOW BEGAN TO FLUCTUATE. UPON APPROACH AND ENTERING THE DOWNWIND FOR LANDING, WITH THREE GREEN LIGHTS, HE THEN ENCOUNTERED AN INTERMITTENT DIGITAL DISPLAY AND NEGATIVE FLAP RESPONSE IN WHICH ARE ALSO ELECTRIC. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT UNTIL HE EXECUTED HIS ROLL OUT THEN THE GEAR COLLAPSED CAUSING DAMAGE TO INBOARD GEAR DOORS, NOSE DOORS, AUGMENTER TUBES AND OTHER MINOR MISCELLANEOUS DAMAGE AS WELL AS THE BELLY ANTENNAS. HOWEVER, THE SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE APPEARS TO BE THAT OF THE PROPELLER FROM STRIKING THE GROUND AFTER THE GEAR COLLAPSED AND BEFORE THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST. DURING REMOVAL FROM THE TAXIWAY AND ATTEMPTING TO LOCK THE GEAR DOWN FOR TRANSFER, THE RIGHT GEAR APPEARED UNSAFE. FURTHER INSPECTION SHOWED EVIDENCE OF THE RIGHT WHEEL WELL SQUAT SWITCH DEPRESSED AS TO WHY HE MAY HAVE HAD AN UNSAFE INDICATION IN THE COCKPIT. A PRELIMINARY VISUAL INSPECTION WITH THE MECHANIC SHOWS THERE MAY HAVE BEEN AN ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION WITH A LINEAR ACTUATOR WITHIN THE SYSTEM; IT ALSO IS ELECTRICALLY DRIVEN AND MAY BE A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR IF ELECTRICAL INPUT WAS LOST. WHILE INVESTIGATING A POSSIBLE CAUSE THE RECORDS SHOW THIS AIRCRAFT HAS HAD A MODIFICATION BY CONVERTING THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FROM A GENERATOR TYPE TO AN ALTERNATOR TYPE SYSTEM AND ACCORDING TO THE OWNER HAS HAD PREVIOUS MALFUNCTIONS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS REPAIRED AS REQUIRED FOR A FERRY FLIGHT AND CURRENTLY IS UNDER REPAIR.