OpenAirDocs.org

20250912012689I

Incident · Minor damage
Open the Markdown

FAA incident report · Beech A24R · Smyrna, TN · September 12, 2025

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
September 12, 2025 · 12:58 local
Place
Smyrna, TN
Airport
Smyrna
Phase of flight
Landing: Rollout
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N9710Q
Reported as
Beech A24R
Reported engine
Lycoming I0360 series
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
1,603 total
N9710QRegistered now · Beech A24RS/N MC-66 · Built 1970Airframe modelBeech A24REngine 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.

Pilot departed mbt at approximately 12:30CST for mqy on a VFR flight plan in VMC conditions. Per pilots statement, aircraft handled well on the ground in mbt, and the landing gear operated correctly upon departure. Upon approach to mqy, pilot noted the nose landing gear took longer than usual to deploy.

After main gear touchdown in mqy, pilot lowered nose, and immediately noted a dragging noise from the nose landing gear accompanied by a strong deceleration. The pilot applied aft yoke to pull the nose gear off the runway, and held that control configuration until the nose wheel contacted the runway again. The aircraft immediately turned sharply and exited the runway into the grass.

Upon inspection by FAA inspector, it was noted that the linkage rod between the nose landing gear spindle and the nose wheel steering yoke was broken. This broken component allowed the nose landing gear wheel to deploy perpendicular to direction of flight, and rendered the nose wheel steering system inoperative. This caused the loss of control of the aircraft upon rollout.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT DEPARTED MBT AT APPROXIMATELY 12:30CST FOR MQY ON A VFR FLIGHT PLAN IN VMC CONDITIONS. PER PILOTS STATEMENT, AIRCRAFT HANDLED WELL ON THE GROUND IN MBT, AND THE LANDING GEAR OPERATED CORRECTLY UPON DEPARTURE. UPON APPROACH TO MQY, PILOT NOTED THE NOSE LANDING GEAR TOOK LONGER THAN USUAL TO DEPLOY.

AFTER MAIN GEAR TOUCHDOWN IN MQY, PILOT LOWERED NOSE, AND IMMEDIATELY NOTED A DRAGGING NOISE FROM THE NOSE LANDING GEAR ACCOMPANIED BY A STRONG DECELERATION. THE PILOT APPLIED AFT YOKE TO PULL THE NOSE GEAR OFF THE RUNWAY, AND HELD THAT CONTROL CONFIGURATION UNTIL THE NOSE WHEEL CONTACTED THE RUNWAY AGAIN. THE AIRCRAFT IMMEDIATELY TURNED SHARPLY AND EXITED THE RUNWAY INTO THE GRASS.

UPON INSPECTION BY FAA INSPECTOR, IT WAS NOTED THAT THE LINKAGE ROD BETWEEN THE NOSE LANDING GEAR SPINDLE AND THE NOSE WHEEL STEERING YOKE WAS BROKEN. THIS BROKEN COMPONENT ALLOWED THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WHEEL TO DEPLOY PERPENDICULAR TO DIRECTION OF FLIGHT, AND RENDERED THE NOSE WHEEL STEERING SYSTEM INOPERATIVE. THIS CAUSED THE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT UPON ROLLOUT.