20140131000949I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Beech 58 · Waterford, MI · January 31, 2014

Date: January 31, 2014 · 16:38 local
Place: Waterford, MI
Airport: Oakland County International
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N3077Z
Reported as: Beech 58
Reported engine: Continental IO-550 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours: 3,400 total2,200 in this make and model9 in the last 90 days

N3077ZRegistered now · Beech 58S/N TH-1516 · Built 1987 Airframe modelBeech 58 Engine modelContinental IO-550 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 intended to perform a local check flight after annual inspection. A preflight was performed in his t hangar. Due to several inches of snow on the ramp the pilot borrowed an electric tow bar that he normally did not use. After pulling the aircraft from the hangar he coiled the electric cord up and mistakenly recorded in his mind that the bar had been removed because his regular tow bar only took one step to remove. He managed to taxi out and depart rationalizing that the unusual steering pedal input requirements were due to the excessive amount of snow on the ramp. After gear retraction the tower advised of the apparent tow bar hanging from the nose. The pilot also heard a crunching sound during retraction. The gear was lowered and mixtures shut down prior to touchdown. Upon touchdown the nose gear collapsed with the tow bar remaining attached. The nose of the aircraft was held off the runway surface by the tow bar binding on the nose gear doors.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT INTENDED TO PERFORM A LOCAL CHECK FLIGHT AFTER ANNUAL INSPECTION. A PREFLIGHT WAS PERFORMED IN HIS T HANGAR. DUE TO SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW ON THE RAMP THE PILOT BORROWED AN ELECTRIC TOW BAR THAT HE NORMALLY DID NOT USE. AFTER PULLING THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE HANGAR HE COILED THE ELECTRIC CORD UP AND MISTAKENLY RECORDED IN HIS MIND THAT THE BAR HAD BEEN REMOVED BECAUSE HIS REGULAR TOW BAR ONLY TOOK ONE STEP TO REMOVE. HE MANAGED TO TAXI OUT AND DEPART RATIONALIZING THAT THE UNUSUAL STEERING PEDAL INPUT REQUIREMENTS WERE DUE TO THE EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF SNOW ON THE RAMP. AFTER GEAR RETRACTION THE TOWER ADVISED OF THE APPARENT TOW BAR HANGING FROM THE NOSE. THE PILOT ALSO HEARD A CRUNCHING SOUND DURING RETRACTION. THE GEAR WAS LOWERED AND MIXTURES SHUT DOWN PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN. UPON TOUCHDOWN THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED WITH THE TOW BAR REMAINING ATTACHED. THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS HELD OFF THE RUNWAY SURFACE BY THE TOW BAR BINDING ON THE NOSE GEAR DOORS.