20200412002769I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 172RG · Bedford, MA · April 12, 2020

Date: April 12, 2020 · 10:30 local
Place: Bedford, MA
Airport: Hanscom Field
Phase of flight: Takeoff: Departure Roll
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N9653B
Reported as: Cessna 172RG
Reported engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 4,503 total4,308 in this make and model7 in the last 90 days

N9653BRegistered now · Cessna 172RGS/N 172RG0946 · Built 1981 Airframe modelCessna 172RG Engine modelLycoming O&VO-360 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 aircraft was cleared for takeoff at taxiway f on runway 29. The aircraft started its departure roll and prior to rotation the pilot selected the landing gear lever to the retract position. The aircraft's nose gear began to retract resulting in the nose of the aircraft pitching down and the propeller striking the runway surface at take off power. Subsequently the aircraft nose landing gear assembly completely retracted. The main landing gear remained extended and did not retract during the sequence, resulting in the aircraft sliding on the nose gear doors until coming to a stop in a nose down position on the runway.

As the FAA filed it

THE AIRCRAFT WAS CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF AT TAXIWAY F ON RUNWAY 29. THE AIRCRAFT STARTED ITS DEPARTURE ROLL AND PRIOR TO ROTATION THE PILOT SELECTED THE LANDING GEAR LEVER TO THE RETRACT POSITION. THE AIRCRAFT'S NOSE GEAR BEGAN TO RETRACT RESULTING IN THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT PITCHING DOWN AND THE PROPELLER STRIKING THE RUNWAY SURFACE AT TAKE OFF POWER. SUBSEQUENTLY THE AIRCRAFT NOSE LANDING GEAR ASSEMBLY COMPLETELY RETRACTED. THE MAIN LANDING GEAR REMAINED EXTENDED AND DID NOT RETRACT DURING THE SEQUENCE, RESULTING IN THE AIRCRAFT SLIDING ON THE NOSE GEAR DOORS UNTIL COMING TO A STOP IN A NOSE DOWN POSITION ON THE RUNWAY.