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20160723011429I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Beech 35 · Liberal, KS · July 23, 2016

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 23, 2016 · 05:05 local
Place
Liberal, KS
Airport
Liberal Mid-America Regional
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N4550V
Reported as
Beech 35
Reported engine
Continental E185 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
391 total194 in this make and model23 in the last 90 days
N4550VRegistration cancelled Nov 29, 2019 · Beech 35S/N D-1378 · Built 1948Airframe modelBeech 35Engine modelContinental E185 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.

After take-off the landing gear was retracted and the pilot heard a loud ?pop?. The pilot determined that the nose gear was not retracted by using mirrors located on the wing fuel tip tanks. The pilot continued his flight to the destination airport. After lowering the landing gear he could still see that nose gear was not extended. During the landing the nose lowered and continued to lower until the propeller struck the pavement. The aircraft came to rest on the center line of the runway with the nose on the pavement. The pilot exited the aircraft.

The inspector arrived to inspect the aircraft. The nose gear doors were jammed closed, after opening the nose gear doors the nose gear swung free. Examination found that the rod end (p/n- HM-5S) connecting the retract/extend rod to the nose landing gear had failed; this allowed the nose gear to swing freely. The nose gear was not able to be locked in the down position. Examination of the aircraft log records could not identify that the rod end had ever been changed since manufacture of the aircraft.

As the FAA filed it

AFTER TAKE-OFF THE LANDING GEAR WAS RETRACTED AND THE PILOT HEARD A LOUD ?POP?. THE PILOT DETERMINED THAT THE NOSE GEAR WAS NOT RETRACTED BY USING MIRRORS LOCATED ON THE WING FUEL TIP TANKS. THE PILOT CONTINUED HIS FLIGHT TO THE DESTINATION AIRPORT. AFTER LOWERING THE LANDING GEAR HE COULD STILL SEE THAT NOSE GEAR WAS NOT EXTENDED. DURING THE LANDING THE NOSE LOWERED AND CONTINUED TO LOWER UNTIL THE PROPELLER STRUCK THE PAVEMENT. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST ON THE CENTER LINE OF THE RUNWAY WITH THE NOSE ON THE PAVEMENT. THE PILOT EXITED THE AIRCRAFT.

THE INSPECTOR ARRIVED TO INSPECT THE AIRCRAFT. THE NOSE GEAR DOORS WERE JAMMED CLOSED, AFTER OPENING THE NOSE GEAR DOORS THE NOSE GEAR SWUNG FREE. EXAMINATION FOUND THAT THE ROD END (P/N- HM-5S) CONNECTING THE RETRACT/EXTEND ROD TO THE NOSE LANDING GEAR HAD FAILED; THIS ALLOWED THE NOSE GEAR TO SWING FREELY. THE NOSE GEAR WAS NOT ABLE TO BE LOCKED IN THE DOWN POSITION. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT LOG RECORDS COULD NOT IDENTIFY THAT THE ROD END HAD EVER BEEN CHANGED SINCE MANUFACTURE OF THE AIRCRAFT.