What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On January 30, 2017 at 19:14 local time the st. louis FAA flight standards district office (FSDO) received notification from the regional operations center of a pilot (owner/operator) reported incident at saint charles county airport in Portage des sioux, Missouri. Weather conditions were reported VFR and clear with winds at 7 knots out of 130 degrees.
During an initial phone interview on January 30, 2017, the pilot of aircraft N994Q, a 1961 Beech N35 v-tail, s/n D-6817 reported a main landing gear collapse of both main landing gears on touch-down at smartt airport runway 18. Aircraft approach was from the north to south.
The pilot stated he was the owner and pilot at the time of the incident. The purpose of the flight was for practice and contacts. Airport points during the flight were hannibal, MO, kirksville, MO, booneville, MO. And back to smartt airport. The approach was normal, the gear indication was ?three green? And nothing unusual. Upon touch down he heard scraping and continued to steer as best he could and he had no inclination of what he thought may have happened, whether mechanical or human factors related. Pilot information was provided at this time.
Scarring on runway 18 indicated that upon touch down the aircraft experienced a propeller strike then contact with the fuselage and flaps of the aircraft. The aircraft skidded on the runway for approximately 200 feet veering slightly right then exited the right side of the runway into a grassy area for approximately another 60 feet. The aircraft came to rest in an upright position just off the edge of the runway.
The inspection of the aircraft after recovery and located in a hangar was configured in an elevated position on jack stands with the left hand main landing gear down and locked and right main landing gear in transit. This in transit position was due to the right hand drag link upper hinge point failure and right hand main landing gear. Damage to the nose landing gear doors and right/left flaps are consistent with the landing gear being in the ?up? Position during the landing. Damage includes but not limited to:
1. All propeller blades sustained significant damage.
2. Significant longitudinal scarring on left and right aft nose landing gear (NLG) doors.
3. Significant longitudinal scarring on fuselage immediately aft of NLG doors.
4. Significant longitudinal scarring and structural damage on left and right flaps.
5. Significant longitudinal scarring on left and right exhaust tips as they exit near the NLG bay.
6. Significant damage to the right side main landing gear door (crushed upward into the wheel well).
7. Right hand main landing gear drag link end is broken at the upper hinge point (roller).
8. Right hand step just aft of the flap was bent upward and still attached to the fuselage.
Since the initial phone interview on the date of the incident, the owner/operator has refused all interviews to support a main landing gear collapse on landing. During follow up of the investigation further interviews with the pilot and mechanic(s) will be needed to gather factual data to conclude the investigation. Follow up investigation dates are pending management approval.
Spas and edrs aircraft maintenance records reviews indicate that the certificated airman (pilot and mechanics) identified in the aircraft records investigation are current and have no prior enforcements history.
Airworthiness directives (AD) were reviewed. Seventeen (17) AD?s were applicable to N994Q with only one (1) AD (2007-08-08 up-lock roller) applies to the landing gear system.
This investigation is ongoing as aircraft repairs are accomplished to determine the mechanical and/or human conditions that contributed to the incident. This narrative report will be amended as factual data is obtained by follow up by investigation(s).
FAA ptrs reference: CE03INCI2588
05/04/2017
As the FAA filed it
ON JANUARY 30, 2017 AT 19:14 LOCAL TIME THE ST. LOUIS FAA FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE (FSDO) RECEIVED NOTIFICATION FROM THE REGIONAL OPERATIONS CENTER OF A PILOT (OWNER/OPERATOR) REPORTED INCIDENT AT SAINT CHARLES COUNTY AIRPORT IN PORTAGE DES SIOUX, MISSOURI. WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE REPORTED VFR AND CLEAR WITH WINDS AT 7 KNOTS OUT OF 130 DEGREES.
DURING AN INITIAL PHONE INTERVIEW ON JANUARY 30, 2017, THE PILOT OF AIRCRAFT N994Q, A 1961 BEECH N35 V-TAIL, S/N D-6817 REPORTED A MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSE OF BOTH MAIN LANDING GEARS ON TOUCH-DOWN AT SMARTT AIRPORT RUNWAY 18. AIRCRAFT APPROACH WAS FROM THE NORTH TO SOUTH.
THE PILOT STATED HE WAS THE OWNER AND PILOT AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. THE PURPOSE OF THE FLIGHT WAS FOR PRACTICE AND CONTACTS. AIRPORT POINTS DURING THE FLIGHT WERE HANNIBAL, MO, KIRKSVILLE, MO, BOONEVILLE, MO. AND BACK TO SMARTT AIRPORT. THE APPROACH WAS NORMAL, THE GEAR INDICATION WAS ?THREE GREEN? AND NOTHING UNUSUAL. UPON TOUCH DOWN HE HEARD SCRAPING AND CONTINUED TO STEER AS BEST HE COULD AND HE HAD NO INCLINATION OF WHAT HE THOUGHT MAY HAVE HAPPENED, WHETHER MECHANICAL OR HUMAN FACTORS RELATED. PILOT INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED AT THIS TIME.
SCARRING ON RUNWAY 18 INDICATED THAT UPON TOUCH DOWN THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED A PROPELLER STRIKE THEN CONTACT WITH THE FUSELAGE AND FLAPS OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED ON THE RUNWAY FOR APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET VEERING SLIGHTLY RIGHT THEN EXITED THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY INTO A GRASSY AREA FOR APPROXIMATELY ANOTHER 60 FEET. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION JUST OFF THE EDGE OF THE RUNWAY.
THE INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT AFTER RECOVERY AND LOCATED IN A HANGAR WAS CONFIGURED IN AN ELEVATED POSITION ON JACK STANDS WITH THE LEFT HAND MAIN LANDING GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED AND RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR IN TRANSIT. THIS IN TRANSIT POSITION WAS DUE TO THE RIGHT HAND DRAG LINK UPPER HINGE POINT FAILURE AND RIGHT HAND MAIN LANDING GEAR. DAMAGE TO THE NOSE LANDING GEAR DOORS AND RIGHT/LEFT FLAPS ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE LANDING GEAR BEING IN THE ?UP? POSITION DURING THE LANDING. DAMAGE INCLUDES BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
1. ALL PROPELLER BLADES SUSTAINED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE.
2. SIGNIFICANT LONGITUDINAL SCARRING ON LEFT AND RIGHT AFT NOSE LANDING GEAR (NLG) DOORS.
3. SIGNIFICANT LONGITUDINAL SCARRING ON FUSELAGE IMMEDIATELY AFT OF NLG DOORS.
4. SIGNIFICANT LONGITUDINAL SCARRING AND STRUCTURAL DAMAGE ON LEFT AND RIGHT FLAPS.
5. SIGNIFICANT LONGITUDINAL SCARRING ON LEFT AND RIGHT EXHAUST TIPS AS THEY EXIT NEAR THE NLG BAY.
6. SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE RIGHT SIDE MAIN LANDING GEAR DOOR (CRUSHED UPWARD INTO THE WHEEL WELL).
7. RIGHT HAND MAIN LANDING GEAR DRAG LINK END IS BROKEN AT THE UPPER HINGE POINT (ROLLER).
8. RIGHT HAND STEP JUST AFT OF THE FLAP WAS BENT UPWARD AND STILL ATTACHED TO THE FUSELAGE.
SINCE THE INITIAL PHONE INTERVIEW ON THE DATE OF THE INCIDENT, THE OWNER/OPERATOR HAS REFUSED ALL INTERVIEWS TO SUPPORT A MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSE ON LANDING. DURING FOLLOW UP OF THE INVESTIGATION FURTHER INTERVIEWS WITH THE PILOT AND MECHANIC(S) WILL BE NEEDED TO GATHER FACTUAL DATA TO CONCLUDE THE INVESTIGATION. FOLLOW UP INVESTIGATION DATES ARE PENDING MANAGEMENT APPROVAL.
SPAS AND EDRS AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE RECORDS REVIEWS INDICATE THAT THE CERTIFICATED AIRMAN (PILOT AND MECHANICS) IDENTIFIED IN THE AIRCRAFT RECORDS INVESTIGATION ARE CURRENT AND HAVE NO PRIOR ENFORCEMENTS HISTORY.
AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES (AD) WERE REVIEWED. SEVENTEEN (17) AD?S WERE APPLICABLE TO N994Q WITH ONLY ONE (1) AD (2007-08-08 UP-LOCK ROLLER) APPLIES TO THE LANDING GEAR SYSTEM.
THIS INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING AS AIRCRAFT REPAIRS ARE ACCOMPLISHED TO DETERMINE THE MECHANICAL AND/OR HUMAN CONDITIONS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE INCIDENT. THIS NARRATIVE REPORT WILL BE AMENDED AS FACTUAL DATA IS OBTAINED BY FOLLOW UP BY INVESTIGATION(S).
FAA PTRS REFERENCE: CE03INCI2588
05/04/2017
Other reports on N994Q · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.