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Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Beech D35 · Kalispell, MT · August 22, 2012

Date: August 22, 2012 · 10:20 local
Place: Kalispell, MT
Airport: Glacier Park International
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N303R
Reported as: Beech D35
Reported engine: Continental E225 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 575 total140 in this make and model9 in the last 90 days

N303RRegistration cancelled Dec 11, 2013 · Beech D35S/N D-3530 · Built 1953 Airframe modelBeech D35 Engine 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.

Pilot departed polson, MT (8S1) retracked the landing gear and the landing gear circuit breaker popped. Reset the breaker and lowered the landing gear and did a fly-by Glacier park internationl (gpi) tower, the gear appeared to be down and locked. The landing at gpi was uneventful. Maintenance found a collapsed left main gear strut. Re-packed the left main gear strut performed a gear swing and no defects were observed. The pilot departed gpi with the intent of leaving the gear down and locked for a flight around the pattern. He landed at gpi and the nose gear collapsed. The main gear was down and locked. It is beleived the pilot actuated the gear from habit and the breaker popped unlocking the nose gear but the mechanism stopped prior to unlocking the main gear resulting in the nose gear collapse on touchdown. The pilot stated he did not retract the gear for the flight around the pattern following the left main gear maintenance.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT DEPARTED POLSON, MT (8S1) RETRACKED THE LANDING GEAR AND THE LANDING GEAR CIRCUIT BREAKER POPPED. RESET THE BREAKER AND LOWERED THE LANDING GEAR AND DID A FLY-BY GLACIER PARK INTERNATIONL (GPI) TOWER, THE GEAR APPEARED TO BE DOWN AND LOCKED. THE LANDING AT GPI WAS UNEVENTFUL. MAINTENANCE FOUND A COLLAPSED LEFT MAIN GEAR STRUT. RE-PACKED THE LEFT MAIN GEAR STRUT PERFORMED A GEAR SWING AND NO DEFECTS WERE OBSERVED. THE PILOT DEPARTED GPI WITH THE INTENT OF LEAVING THE GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED FOR A FLIGHT AROUND THE PATTERN. HE LANDED AT GPI AND THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. THE MAIN GEAR WAS DOWN AND LOCKED. IT IS BELEIVED THE PILOT ACTUATED THE GEAR FROM HABIT AND THE BREAKER POPPED UNLOCKING THE NOSE GEAR BUT THE MECHANISM STOPPED PRIOR TO UNLOCKING THE MAIN GEAR RESULTING IN THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE ON TOUCHDOWN. THE PILOT STATED HE DID NOT RETRACT THE GEAR FOR THE FLIGHT AROUND THE PATTERN FOLLOWING THE LEFT MAIN GEAR MAINTENANCE.