OpenAirDocs.org

20130822016879I

Incident · Minor damage
Open the Markdown

FAA incident report · Beech F33A · Johnstown, PA · August 22, 2013

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
August 22, 2013 · 14:55 local
Place
Johnstown, PA
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N303LD
Reported as
Beech F33A
Reported engine
Continental IO-520 BB series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
N303LDRegistration cancelled Jul 6, 2018 · Beech F33AS/N CE-1462 · Built 1990Airframe modelBeech F33AEngine modelContinental IO-520 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.

N303LD departed bedford county airport, (khmz) and prior to landing, the pilot extended the landing gear. The nose gear failed to extend. A decision was made to land at Johnstown airport, (kjst) as the airport is better equipped for emergencies. Upon landing at Johnstown, damage consisted of three bent propeller blade tips, deformation of the left lower engine cowling, minor nose landing gear door damage, nose landing gear extension/retraction tube separation, and fuselage rib damage caused by failure of the extension/retraction nose gear push pull tube. Further examination revealed that a piece of the aircraft tow bar had remained inside the nose wheel axle after the tow bar was removed. In flight, the remaining piece of tow bar worked itself partially out of the axle and jammed the nose gear in the wheel well. It was determined that prior to takeoff at bedford, the ground handling person removed the towbar after positioning the aircraft and one piece of the tow bar remained in the axle. The design of the tow bar is such that after loosening a handle used to insert the two piece tow bar into the axle, part of the tow bar can separate resulting in interference with extension and retraction of the nose gear. In addition the piece of tow bar that remains in the axle cannot be seen during a typical preflight of the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

N303LD DEPARTED BEDFORD COUNTY AIRPORT, (KHMZ) AND PRIOR TO LANDING, THE PILOT EXTENDED THE LANDING GEAR. THE NOSE GEAR FAILED TO EXTEND. A DECISION WAS MADE TO LAND AT JOHNSTOWN AIRPORT, (KJST) AS THE AIRPORT IS BETTER EQUIPPED FOR EMERGENCIES. UPON LANDING AT JOHNSTOWN, DAMAGE CONSISTED OF THREE BENT PROPELLER BLADE TIPS, DEFORMATION OF THE LEFT LOWER ENGINE COWLING, MINOR NOSE LANDING GEAR DOOR DAMAGE, NOSE LANDING GEAR EXTENSION/RETRACTION TUBE SEPARATION, AND FUSELAGE RIB DAMAGE CAUSED BY FAILURE OF THE EXTENSION/RETRACTION NOSE GEAR PUSH PULL TUBE. FURTHER EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT A PIECE OF THE AIRCRAFT TOW BAR HAD REMAINED INSIDE THE NOSE WHEEL AXLE AFTER THE TOW BAR WAS REMOVED. IN FLIGHT, THE REMAINING PIECE OF TOW BAR WORKED ITSELF PARTIALLY OUT OF THE AXLE AND JAMMED THE NOSE GEAR IN THE WHEEL WELL. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT PRIOR TO TAKEOFF AT BEDFORD, THE GROUND HANDLING PERSON REMOVED THE TOWBAR AFTER POSITIONING THE AIRCRAFT AND ONE PIECE OF THE TOW BAR REMAINED IN THE AXLE. THE DESIGN OF THE TOW BAR IS SUCH THAT AFTER LOOSENING A HANDLE USED TO INSERT THE TWO PIECE TOW BAR INTO THE AXLE, PART OF THE TOW BAR CAN SEPARATE RESULTING IN INTERFERENCE WITH EXTENSION AND RETRACTION OF THE NOSE GEAR. IN ADDITION THE PIECE OF TOW BAR THAT REMAINS IN THE AXLE CANNOT BE SEEN DURING A TYPICAL PREFLIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT.