20221205019449I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Aero Commander 112 · Rostraver Towns, PA · December 5, 2022

Date: December 5, 2022 · 17:01 local
Place: Rostraver Towns, PA
Airport: Rostraver Airport
Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N112GT
Reported as: Aero Commander 112
Reported engine: Lycoming I0360 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificate: Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 839 total

N112GTRegistered now · Aero Commander 112S/N 235 · Built 1974 Airframe modelAero Commander 112 Engine modelLycoming I0360 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.

Cable assembly, item number 4 on figure 2-42 in the illustrated parts catalog, broke inside the bungee. The location of the break was such that it would not have been visible during inspections without disassembly of the bungee. The right-hand cable assembly broke disconnecting the cable from the bungee and allowing the bungee to jam the lever assembly of the nose landing gear door actuating mechanism. This caused the nose landing gear doors to be unable to fully open and prevented the nose landing gear from extending. The aircraft landed on the main landing gear and damage to the nose landing gear doors and area was minor.

As the FAA filed it

CABLE ASSEMBLY, ITEM NUMBER 4 ON FIGURE 2-42 IN THE ILLUSTRATED PARTS CATALOG, BROKE INSIDE THE BUNGEE. THE LOCATION OF THE BREAK WAS SUCH THAT IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN VISIBLE DURING INSPECTIONS WITHOUT DISASSEMBLY OF THE BUNGEE. THE RIGHT-HAND CABLE ASSEMBLY BROKE DISCONNECTING THE CABLE FROM THE BUNGEE AND ALLOWING THE BUNGEE TO JAM THE LEVER ASSEMBLY OF THE NOSE LANDING GEAR DOOR ACTUATING MECHANISM. THIS CAUSED THE NOSE LANDING GEAR DOORS TO BE UNABLE TO FULLY OPEN AND PREVENTED THE NOSE LANDING GEAR FROM EXTENDING. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED ON THE MAIN LANDING GEAR AND DAMAGE TO THE NOSE LANDING GEAR DOORS AND AREA WAS MINOR.