20180626008639I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Beech A45 · Beverly, MA · June 26, 2018

Date: June 26, 2018 · 18:00 local
Place: Beverly, MA
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N36AE
Reported as: Beech A45
Reported engine: Continental O-470 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,400 total1,000 in this make and model

N36AERegistered now · Beech A45S/N G-77 Airframe modelBeech A45 Engine modelContinental O-470 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.

The airman departed around 1700 for a local area flight. After an hour of flying, on the first landing during roll out, the nose wheel collapsed while the airman was attempting to turn off runway 16.

The nose wheel did not collapse in the conventional sense. The metal arm that connects the wheel hub to the frame of the aircraft was bent at a 90 degree angle.

The airman made no mention of a hard landing. However, multiple eye witness statements including one from Beverly tower describe N36AE as landing hard. According to Beverly tower, the aircraft porpoised multiple times down the runway prior to coming to a complete stop.

The nose wheel assembly was pulled apart to see if any corrosion or metal fatigue were present to assist the assembly to collapse. Neither condition existed in the assembly. The nose wheel collapse occured due to the hard landing alone.

As the FAA filed it

THE AIRMAN DEPARTED AROUND 1700 FOR A LOCAL AREA FLIGHT. AFTER AN HOUR OF FLYING, ON THE FIRST LANDING DURING ROLL OUT, THE NOSE WHEEL COLLAPSED WHILE THE AIRMAN WAS ATTEMPTING TO TURN OFF RUNWAY 16.

THE NOSE WHEEL DID NOT COLLAPSE IN THE CONVENTIONAL SENSE. THE METAL ARM THAT CONNECTS THE WHEEL HUB TO THE FRAME OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS BENT AT A 90 DEGREE ANGLE.

THE AIRMAN MADE NO MENTION OF A HARD LANDING. HOWEVER, MULTIPLE EYE WITNESS STATEMENTS INCLUDING ONE FROM BEVERLY TOWER DESCRIBE N36AE AS LANDING HARD. ACCORDING TO BEVERLY TOWER, THE AIRCRAFT PORPOISED MULTIPLE TIMES DOWN THE RUNWAY PRIOR TO COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP.

THE NOSE WHEEL ASSEMBLY WAS PULLED APART TO SEE IF ANY CORROSION OR METAL FATIGUE WERE PRESENT TO ASSIST THE ASSEMBLY TO COLLAPSE. NEITHER CONDITION EXISTED IN THE ASSEMBLY. THE NOSE WHEEL COLLAPSE OCCURED DUE TO THE HARD LANDING ALONE.