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20230624010759I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Cessna 320E · Spanish Fork, UT · June 24, 2023

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
June 24, 2023 · 17:30 local
Place
Spanish Fork, UT
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N3412Q
Reported as
Cessna 320E
Reported engine
Continental IO-520 series
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
1,649 total547 in this make and model4 in the last 90 days
N3412QRegistered now · Cessna 320ES/N 320E0012Airframe modelCessna 320EEngine modelContinental IO-520 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 pilot stated that after takeoff, while retracting the gear, he heard a bang from the front of the aircraft. With ground observation and an extra 300 (11G) flying in formation, the pilot confirmed the nose gear was not coming down. The pilot tried cycling the gear with the hand crank, high g maneuvers were performed to no avail; the nose gear still did not extended. The pilot flew around for about 45 minutes attempting to get the nose gear down, he talked to the ground, talked to the extra 300 while burning fuel to reduce the likelihood and severity of a fire. The pilot flew to provo (kpvu) and talked to the provo tower controller (who called 911). The pilot turned off the fuel and opened the door as soon as the mains touched down. The pilot stated he held the nose off the ground as long as he could, and the nose dropped (shortly after the stall warning sounded) with the fuselage hitting the ground. The aircraft skidded for about 24 seconds. After the pilot verified that the fuel and all electrical systems were off, everyone exited the plane. There were no injuries.

The pilot stated that he knew what was wrong with the nose gear as soon as he heard the bang on takeoff. He stated that his mechanic disconnected the nose gear doors to remove the oxygen bottle for servicing. The pilot received the oxygen bottle back from service and installed it himself without informing the mechanic. After the oxygen bottle was installed the pilot failed to reconnect the nose gear doors. The nose gear jammed due to the nose gear doors not being secured. The pilot also stated he missed that step on his checklist due to the plane being washed prior to take-off.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT STATED THAT AFTER TAKEOFF, WHILE RETRACTING THE GEAR, HE HEARD A BANG FROM THE FRONT OF THE AIRCRAFT. WITH GROUND OBSERVATION AND AN EXTRA 300 (11G) FLYING IN FORMATION, THE PILOT CONFIRMED THE NOSE GEAR WAS NOT COMING DOWN. THE PILOT TRIED CYCLING THE GEAR WITH THE HAND CRANK, HIGH G MANEUVERS WERE PERFORMED TO NO AVAIL; THE NOSE GEAR STILL DID NOT EXTENDED. THE PILOT FLEW AROUND FOR ABOUT 45 MINUTES ATTEMPTING TO GET THE NOSE GEAR DOWN, HE TALKED TO THE GROUND, TALKED TO THE EXTRA 300 WHILE BURNING FUEL TO REDUCE THE LIKELIHOOD AND SEVERITY OF A FIRE. THE PILOT FLEW TO PROVO (KPVU) AND TALKED TO THE PROVO TOWER CONTROLLER (WHO CALLED 911). THE PILOT TURNED OFF THE FUEL AND OPENED THE DOOR AS SOON AS THE MAINS TOUCHED DOWN. THE PILOT STATED HE HELD THE NOSE OFF THE GROUND AS LONG AS HE COULD, AND THE NOSE DROPPED (SHORTLY AFTER THE STALL WARNING SOUNDED) WITH THE FUSELAGE HITTING THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED FOR ABOUT 24 SECONDS. AFTER THE PILOT VERIFIED THAT THE FUEL AND ALL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS WERE OFF, EVERYONE EXITED THE PLANE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES.

THE PILOT STATED THAT HE KNEW WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE NOSE GEAR AS SOON AS HE HEARD THE BANG ON TAKEOFF. HE STATED THAT HIS MECHANIC DISCONNECTED THE NOSE GEAR DOORS TO REMOVE THE OXYGEN BOTTLE FOR SERVICING. THE PILOT RECEIVED THE OXYGEN BOTTLE BACK FROM SERVICE AND INSTALLED IT HIMSELF WITHOUT INFORMING THE MECHANIC. AFTER THE OXYGEN BOTTLE WAS INSTALLED THE PILOT FAILED TO RECONNECT THE NOSE GEAR DOORS. THE NOSE GEAR JAMMED DUE TO THE NOSE GEAR DOORS NOT BEING SECURED. THE PILOT ALSO STATED HE MISSED THAT STEP ON HIS CHECKLIST DUE TO THE PLANE BEING WASHED PRIOR TO TAKE-OFF.