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20121107025959I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Reims F406/Caravan II · Bethel, AK · November 7, 2012

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
November 7, 2012 · 10:30 local
Place
Bethel, AK
Airport
Bethel
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
EPUA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N861FT
Reported as
Reims F406/Caravan II
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-112
People aboard
9
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
12,800 total119 in the last 90 days
N861FTRegistration cancelled Jul 13, 2016 · Reims Aviation S A F406S/N F406-0034 · Built 1989Airframe modelReims Aviation S A F406Engine modelPratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-112Turbo-prop

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.

At approximately 1030 on 11/7/2012, the air carrier's director of operations informed the cmt that one of their aircraft was circling the Bethel Airport with a nose landing gear that failed to extend. According to information received from the Bethel tower and Alaska roc, N861FT a Cessna F406 called the Bethel tower about 25 miles out and notified ATC that the nose gear of the aircraft was not down. The pilot then spent approximately 20 minutes out to the south burning off fuel and communicating with the company about finding a solution to the gear problem. An emergency was declared by the controller working the position. Emergency vehicles were staged on the airfield. The pilot was cleared to land on runway 1L. The airplane landed with the nose gear in the up position. According to the pilot, he shut down both engines just prior to touch down. During the touch down phase one blade on the left side propeller struck the ground causing visible damage to the propeller. The cargo pod on the fuselage belly appeared to absorb most of the impact. At the time of the event there were 8 passengers on board. None of the passengers or pilot received any injury. During an interview with the PIC, he stated that he did activate the emergency gear extension system but it failed to extend the nose gear. More information to follow. See ptrs AL03201303022

As the FAA filed it

AT APPROXIMATELY 1030 ON 11/7/2012, THE AIR CARRIER'S DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS INFORMED THE CMT THAT ONE OF THEIR AIRCRAFT WAS CIRCLING THE BETHEL AIRPORT WITH A NOSE LANDING GEAR THAT FAILED TO EXTEND. ACCORDING TO INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM THE BETHEL TOWER AND ALASKA ROC, N861FT A CESSNA F406 CALLED THE BETHEL TOWER ABOUT 25 MILES OUT AND NOTIFIED ATC THAT THE NOSE GEAR OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT DOWN. THE PILOT THEN SPENT APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES OUT TO THE SOUTH BURNING OFF FUEL AND COMMUNICATING WITH THE COMPANY ABOUT FINDING A SOLUTION TO THE GEAR PROBLEM. AN EMERGENCY WAS DECLARED BY THE CONTROLLER WORKING THE POSITION. EMERGENCY VEHICLES WERE STAGED ON THE AIRFIELD. THE PILOT WAS CLEARED TO LAND ON RUNWAY 1L. THE AIRPLANE LANDED WITH THE NOSE GEAR IN THE UP POSITION. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, HE SHUT DOWN BOTH ENGINES JUST PRIOR TO TOUCH DOWN. DURING THE TOUCH DOWN PHASE ONE BLADE ON THE LEFT SIDE PROPELLER STRUCK THE GROUND CAUSING VISIBLE DAMAGE TO THE PROPELLER. THE CARGO POD ON THE FUSELAGE BELLY APPEARED TO ABSORB MOST OF THE IMPACT. AT THE TIME OF THE EVENT THERE WERE 8 PASSENGERS ON BOARD. NONE OF THE PASSENGERS OR PILOT RECEIVED ANY INJURY. DURING AN INTERVIEW WITH THE PIC, HE STATED THAT HE DID ACTIVATE THE EMERGENCY GEAR EXTENSION SYSTEM BUT IT FAILED TO EXTEND THE NOSE GEAR.MORE INFORMATION TO FOLLOW. SEE PTRS AL03201303022