What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The pilot departed Winter Haven?s Gilbert field (gif) after accomplishing normal preflight requirements with the intent to return to his home base in dallas, Texas with a planned intermediate fuel stop.
After takeoff the pilot selected the landing gear up but, the gear did not retract and remained in transit. The pilot selected gear down but, the gear would not extend to the down and locked position and remained in transit with the main gear visibly slipstreaming.
The pilot used the emergency manual gear extension system to attempt to extend the landing gear. The landing gear pump handle exhibited proper tactile feel, moved the landing gear to what appeared to be fully extended position, and then became hard to pump indicating that the landing gear actuators should have reached their fully extended position.
The pilot indicated that the gear safe indication, green light, did not illuminate, as he continued to actuate the emergency manual gear extension pump handle. Visual inspection of all three landing gear legs indicated that the landing gear appeared to be fully extended. The airman believing that the landing gear was fully extended prepared for the possibility of a gear collapse and landed on runway 29. After landing the left main landing gear collapsed and the airplane veered to the right edge of the runway where it came to rest. The nose gear sheared do to side load after the left main landing gear collapsed.
Damage sustained was typical of landing gear failure and is considered to be minor damage. During recovery the aircraft spinner was removed and the aircraft was lifted by a crane and strap slung around the engine crankshaft. When lifted the aircraft rolled to the left, as a result of landing gear position, which placed a significant bending load on the left horizontal stabilizer elevator assembly causing substantial damage. No other known substantial damage to the aircraft was noted before or after recovery.
Maintenance inspectors observed a gear swing after the aircraft was recovered. The gear swing revealed that the landing gear malfunctioned in the same manner that was described by the pilot. The cause of the landing gear malfunction was not determined. Maintenance inspectors requested that the cause of the malfunction be forwarded to this office if the airplane was to be repaired.
No action, or inaction, by the pilot is known that could have resulted in a gear down and locked safe condition, prior to landing the airplane and subsequent landing gear collapse.
Weather was not considered or known to be a factor.
As the FAA filed it
THE PILOT DEPARTED WINTER HAVEN?S GILBERT FIELD (GIF) AFTER ACCOMPLISHING NORMAL PREFLIGHT REQUIREMENTS WITH THE INTENT TO RETURN TO HIS HOME BASE IN DALLAS, TEXAS WITH A PLANNED INTERMEDIATE FUEL STOP.
AFTER TAKEOFF THE PILOT SELECTED THE LANDING GEAR UP BUT, THE GEAR DID NOT RETRACT AND REMAINED IN TRANSIT. THE PILOT SELECTED GEAR DOWN BUT, THE GEAR WOULD NOT EXTEND TO THE DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION AND REMAINED IN TRANSIT WITH THE MAIN GEAR VISIBLY SLIPSTREAMING.
THE PILOT USED THE EMERGENCY MANUAL GEAR EXTENSION SYSTEM TO ATTEMPT TO EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR. THE LANDING GEAR PUMP HANDLE EXHIBITED PROPER TACTILE FEEL, MOVED THE LANDING GEAR TO WHAT APPEARED TO BE FULLY EXTENDED POSITION, AND THEN BECAME HARD TO PUMP INDICATING THAT THE LANDING GEAR ACTUATORS SHOULD HAVE REACHED THEIR FULLY EXTENDED POSITION.
THE PILOT INDICATED THAT THE GEAR SAFE INDICATION, GREEN LIGHT, DID NOT ILLUMINATE, AS HE CONTINUED TO ACTUATE THE EMERGENCY MANUAL GEAR EXTENSION PUMP HANDLE. VISUAL INSPECTION OF ALL THREE LANDING GEAR LEGS INDICATED THAT THE LANDING GEAR APPEARED TO BE FULLY EXTENDED. THE AIRMAN BELIEVING THAT THE LANDING GEAR WAS FULLY EXTENDED PREPARED FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF A GEAR COLLAPSE AND LANDED ON RUNWAY 29. AFTER LANDING THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED AND THE AIRPLANE VEERED TO THE RIGHT EDGE OF THE RUNWAY WHERE IT CAME TO REST. THE NOSE GEAR SHEARED DO TO SIDE LOAD AFTER THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED.
DAMAGE SUSTAINED WAS TYPICAL OF LANDING GEAR FAILURE AND IS CONSIDERED TO BE MINOR DAMAGE. DURING RECOVERY THE AIRCRAFT SPINNER WAS REMOVED AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS LIFTED BY A CRANE AND STRAP SLUNG AROUND THE ENGINE CRANKSHAFT. WHEN LIFTED THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED TO THE LEFT, AS A RESULT OF LANDING GEAR POSITION, WHICH PLACED A SIGNIFICANT BENDING LOAD ON THE LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER ELEVATOR ASSEMBLY CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. NO OTHER KNOWN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOTED BEFORE OR AFTER RECOVERY.
MAINTENANCE INSPECTORS OBSERVED A GEAR SWING AFTER THE AIRCRAFT WAS RECOVERED. THE GEAR SWING REVEALED THAT THE LANDING GEAR MALFUNCTIONED IN THE SAME MANNER THAT WAS DESCRIBED BY THE PILOT. THE CAUSE OF THE LANDING GEAR MALFUNCTION WAS NOT DETERMINED. MAINTENANCE INSPECTORS REQUESTED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE MALFUNCTION BE FORWARDED TO THIS OFFICE IF THE AIRPLANE WAS TO BE REPAIRED.
NO ACTION, OR INACTION, BY THE PILOT IS KNOWN THAT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED SAFE CONDITION, PRIOR TO LANDING THE AIRPLANE AND SUBSEQUENT LANDING GEAR COLLAPSE.
WEATHER WAS NOT CONSIDERED OR KNOWN TO BE A FACTOR.
Other reports on N9443M · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.