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20250501005329I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Socata TB 30 EPSILON · Frederick, MD · May 1, 2025

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 1, 2025 · 12:30 local
Place
Frederick, MD
Airport
Frederick Municipal
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N616MM
Reported as
Socata TB 30 Epsilon
Reported engine
Lycoming AEIO540-L1B5D
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
18,398 total
N616MMRegistered now · Socata TB 30 EPSILONS/N 120 · Built 1988Airframe modelSocata TB 30 EPSILONEngine modelLycoming AEIO540-L1B5DReciprocating

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.

On may 1, 2025, at 16:30 UTC, the nose landing gear of a Socata TB30 epsilon (N616MM) collapsed upon touchdown on runway 12 at Frederick airport (kfdk). The aircraft had one pilot and one passenger on board. Prior to landing, the pilot reported a possible gear issue and conducted a fly-by, during which the tower controller observed that one landing gear was visible while the others appeared stowed.

The pilot then circled and manually extended the gear. Upon extension, the tower controller noted that the nose gear appeared partially deployed. The pilot requested a touch-and-go to assist further with the gear extension. Despite these efforts, the gear indication showed that the nose gear was unlocked. On short final, when the landing was assured, the pilot shut down the engine and attempted to keep the nose up as much as possible during landing. However, the nose gear collapsed immediately upon runway contact. The aircraft came to a stop on the runway.

There were no reported injuries, and the aircraft sustained minor damage. The nose gear housing door was scratched, and the propeller was bent and cracked.

As the FAA filed it

ON MAY 1, 2025, AT 16:30 UTC, THE NOSE LANDING GEAR OF A SOCATA TB30 EPSILON (N616MM) COLLAPSED UPON TOUCHDOWN ON RUNWAY 12 AT FREDERICK AIRPORT (KFDK). THE AIRCRAFT HAD ONE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER ON BOARD. PRIOR TO LANDING, THE PILOT REPORTED A POSSIBLE GEAR ISSUE AND CONDUCTED A FLY-BY, DURING WHICH THE TOWER CONTROLLER OBSERVED THAT ONE LANDING GEAR WAS VISIBLE WHILE THE OTHERS APPEARED STOWED.

THE PILOT THEN CIRCLED AND MANUALLY EXTENDED THE GEAR. UPON EXTENSION, THE TOWER CONTROLLER NOTED THAT THE NOSE GEAR APPEARED PARTIALLY DEPLOYED. THE PILOT REQUESTED A TOUCH-AND-GO TO ASSIST FURTHER WITH THE GEAR EXTENSION. DESPITE THESE EFFORTS, THE GEAR INDICATION SHOWED THAT THE NOSE GEAR WAS UNLOCKED. ON SHORT FINAL, WHEN THE LANDING WAS ASSURED, THE PILOT SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE AND ATTEMPTED TO KEEP THE NOSE UP AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE DURING LANDING. HOWEVER, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED IMMEDIATELY UPON RUNWAY CONTACT. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP ON THE RUNWAY.

THERE WERE NO REPORTED INJURIES, AND THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE. THE NOSE GEAR HOUSING DOOR WAS SCRATCHED, AND THE PROPELLER WAS BENT AND CRACKED.