What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The incident occurred on 29-February in support of pao privacy data omitted. During pao operations the contractor this case privacy data omitted provides the oversite.
After the aircraft was removed from the runway put in a hangar and placed on jacks they were able to dislodge the tire from the outboard MLG and get it to lower. Subsequently the privacy data omitted impounded the aircraft for investigation. The investigation revealed the following. Due to the strut being repacked the evening before the incident they carefully disassembled the strut and found that the recoil valve was install upside down limiting it’s travel causing the tire to get bound up with the outboard gear door causing it to get stuck in transit. The operator did a manual gear swing for the follow-on maintenance because the equipment to perform a powered gear swing was not available. After the investigation team concluded its findings the privacy data omitted released the aircraft back to tactical air support who then, director of quality assurance and production manager, performed recurrent training with the team on site for MLG strut repacking procedures. The strut was than reassembled and all follow on checks were completed. The training was documented in the individuals training records. The strut was reworked and reinstalled along with other minor aircraft repairs which were completed per the applicable maintenance instruction manuals and documented in their electronic maintenance tracking system. The aircraft was released from impound and returned to flight status. The aircraft was then flown back to its base in reno for touch up paint. Mission prep/ground ops/brief/ step: uneventfultakeoff / departure:after takeoff, the mishap pilot (mp) observed indications that the left main landing gear did not fully retract. The mp remained below the maximum gear-down airspeed and continued the departure. The mishap chase (mc) rejoined the mp for a visual inspection and verified the mp’s cockpit indications with the following gear and gear door conditions: nose gear and right main gear up left main gear approximately 4-6 inches down (I.e., nearly fully retracted), and all gear doors open. The mp and mc continued to the airspace while executing the appropriate checklists—landing gear retraction failure checklist, followed by the landing gear alternate extension checklist, and finally the
Landing gear unsafe/fails to extend checklist. After executing the appropriate checklists, the mishap aircraft (ma) had the following configuration: nose gear and right main gear up / left main gear partially retracted but above the 275-gallon centerline tank, and all gear doors open. Recovery / landing:the mc and mp coordinated the game plan for a ‘wheels up landing’ at privacy data omitted with the privacy data omittedsupervisor of flying (sof). The sof executed a recall for all airborne aircraft and coordinated with the base aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) unit. The mc escorted the ma back to privacy data omitted and landed in front of the ma. The ma executed a safe approach and landing utilizing the drag chute after landing to reduce the ma speed and stabilize the ma. The mp pilot shut down the engines after touchdown and egressed the ma. The mp was taken by medical personnel to the medical clinic for examination. The mp was cleared from medical with no further treatment. Toxicology testing was also accomplished; the results will be provided upon request from the government.
Maintenance personnel immediate actions & notification:
privacy data omittedPersonnel hoisted the aircraft from the runway and placed the aircraft onto a large trailer. The aircraft was transported to the hangar area then hoisted from the trailer and placed on aircraft jacks for inspection. After the initial inspection, the landing gear was safety pinned and the aircraft was towed into the hangar. The aircraft was then impounded by the TAS safety official for investigation by TAS and the privacy data omitted.
As the FAA filed it
THE INCIDENT OCCURRED ON 29-FEBRUARY IN SUPPORT OF PAO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. DURING PAO OPERATIONS THE CONTRACTOR THIS CASE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ PROVIDES THE OVERSITE.
AFTER THE AIRCRAFT WAS REMOVED FROM THE RUNWAY PUT IN A HANGAR AND PLACED ON JACKS THEY WERE ABLE TO DISLODGE THE TIRE FROM THE OUTBOARD MLG AND GET IT TO LOWER. SUBSEQUENTLY THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IMPOUNDED THE AIRCRAFT FOR INVESTIGATION. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE FOLLOWING. DUE TO THE STRUT BEING REPACKED THE EVENING BEFORE THE INCIDENT THEY CAREFULLY DISASSEMBLED THE STRUT AND FOUND THAT THE RECOIL VALVE WAS INSTALL UPSIDE DOWN LIMITING IT’S TRAVEL CAUSING THE TIRE TO GET BOUND UP WITH THE OUTBOARD GEAR DOOR CAUSING IT TO GET STUCK IN TRANSIT. THE OPERATOR DID A MANUAL GEAR SWING FOR THE FOLLOW-ON MAINTENANCE BECAUSE THE EQUIPMENT TO PERFORM A POWERED GEAR SWING WAS NOT AVAILABLE.AFTER THE INVESTIGATION TEAM CONCLUDED ITS FINDINGS THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ RELEASED THE AIRCRAFT BACK TO TACTICAL AIR SUPPORT WHO THEN, DIRECTOR OF QUALITY ASSURANCE AND PRODUCTION MANAGER, PERFORMED RECURRENT TRAINING WITH THE TEAM ON SITE FOR MLG STRUT REPACKING PROCEDURES. THE STRUT WAS THAN REASSEMBLED AND ALL FOLLOW ON CHECKS WERE COMPLETED. THE TRAINING WAS DOCUMENTED IN THE INDIVIDUALS TRAINING RECORDS.THE STRUT WAS REWORKED AND REINSTALLED ALONG WITH OTHER MINOR AIRCRAFT REPAIRS WHICH WERE COMPLETED PER THE APPLICABLE MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTION MANUALS AND DOCUMENTED IN THEIR ELECTRONIC MAINTENANCE TRACKING SYSTEM. THE AIRCRAFT WAS RELEASED FROM IMPOUND AND RETURNED TO FLIGHT STATUS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN FLOWN BACK TO ITS BASE IN RENO FOR TOUCH UP PAINT.MISSION PREP/GROUND OPS/BRIEF/ STEP: UNEVENTFULTAKEOFF / DEPARTURE:AFTER TAKEOFF, THE MISHAP PILOT (MP) OBSERVED INDICATIONS THAT THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR DID NOT FULLY RETRACT. THE MP REMAINED BELOW THE MAXIMUM GEAR-DOWN AIRSPEED AND CONTINUED THE DEPARTURE. THE MISHAP CHASE (MC) REJOINED THE MP FOR A VISUAL INSPECTION AND VERIFIED THE MP’S COCKPIT INDICATIONS WITH THE FOLLOWING GEAR AND GEAR DOOR CONDITIONS: NOSE GEAR AND RIGHT MAIN GEAR UP LEFT MAIN GEAR APPROXIMATELY 4-6 INCHES DOWN (I.E., NEARLY FULLY RETRACTED), AND ALL GEAR DOORS OPEN. THE MP AND MC CONTINUED TO THE AIRSPACE WHILE EXECUTING THE APPROPRIATE CHECKLISTS—LANDING GEAR RETRACTION FAILURE CHECKLIST, FOLLOWED BY THE LANDING GEAR ALTERNATE EXTENSION CHECKLIST, AND FINALLY THE
LANDING GEAR UNSAFE/FAILS TO EXTEND CHECKLIST. AFTER EXECUTING THE APPROPRIATE CHECKLISTS, THE MISHAP AIRCRAFT (MA) HAD THE FOLLOWING CONFIGURATION: NOSE GEAR AND RIGHT MAIN GEAR UP / LEFT MAIN GEAR PARTIALLY RETRACTED BUT ABOVE THE 275-GALLON CENTERLINE TANK, AND ALL GEAR DOORS OPEN.RECOVERY / LANDING:THE MC AND MP COORDINATED THE GAME PLAN FOR A ‘WHEELS UP LANDING’ AT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WITH THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^SUPERVISOR OF FLYING (SOF). THE SOF EXECUTED A RECALL FOR ALL AIRBORNE AIRCRAFT AND COORDINATED WITH THE BASE AIRCRAFT RESCUE AND FIREFIGHTING (ARFF) UNIT. THE MC ESCORTED THE MA BACK TO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND LANDED IN FRONT OF THE MA. THE MA EXECUTED A SAFE APPROACH AND LANDING UTILIZING THE DRAG CHUTE AFTER LANDING TO REDUCE THE MA SPEED AND STABILIZE THE MA. THE MP PILOT SHUT DOWN THE ENGINES AFTER TOUCHDOWN AND EGRESSED THE MA. THE MP WAS TAKEN BY MEDICAL PERSONNEL TO THE MEDICAL CLINIC FOR EXAMINATION. THE MP WAS CLEARED FROM MEDICAL WITH NO FURTHER TREATMENT. TOXICOLOGY TESTING WAS ALSO ACCOMPLISHED; THE RESULTS WILL BE PROVIDED UPON REQUEST FROM THE GOVERNMENT.
MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL IMMEDIATE ACTIONS & NOTIFICATION:
^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^PERSONNEL HOISTED THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE RUNWAY AND PLACED THE AIRCRAFT ONTO A LARGE TRAILER. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HANGAR AREA THEN HOISTED FROM THE TRAILER AND PLACED ON AIRCRAFT JACKS FOR INSPECTION. AFTER THE INITIAL INSPECTION, THE LANDING GEAR WAS SAFETY PINNED AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS TOWED INTO THE HANGAR. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN IMPOUNDED BY THE TAS SAFETY OFFICIAL FOR INVESTIGATION BY TAS AND THE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.