- Date
- October 24, 2009, 10:20 local (15:20 UTC)
- Place
- Lincoln, NE
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N4420KCurtiss Wright P-40E
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Landing gear collapse
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 19, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Adminisrtaton
- FAA report
- 20091024051459A
- Case key
- 74960
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
The right landing gear's partial retraction during landing due to paint contamination of the landing gear handle detent.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
Upon touchdown, the World War II era tailwheel-equipped airplane experienced an uncontrollable swerve as the right main landing gear began to collapse. As the right main gear exited the edge of the runway, the airplane rocked forward onto its nose and the propeller and left wing tip impacted the ground. The airplane rocked back and came to rest partially off the runway in an upright and right wing low position. An examination of the landing gear retraction system revealed that the landing gear handle detent was contaminated with paint. Subsequently, the landing gear handle did not stay in the detent which resulted in the right landing gear downlock pin to partially retract followed by the partial retraction of the right main landing gear.
Factual narrative
Upon touchdown, the World War II era tailwheel-equipped airplane experienced an uncontrollable swerve as the right main landing gear began to collapse. As the right main gear exited the edge of the runway, the airplane rocked forward onto its nose and the propeller and left wing tip impacted the ground. The airplane rocked back and came to rest partially off the runway in an upright and right wing low position. An examination of the landing gear retraction system revealed that the landing gear handle detent was contaminated with paint. Subsequently, the landing gear handle did not stay in the detent which resulted in the right landing gear downlock pin to partially retract, followed by the partial retraction of the right main landing gear.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4420K
- Reported as
- Curtiss Wright P-40E
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AK75315134
- Engine
- Allison V-1710-39, 1,425 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Minnesota Airways LLC
- Registered owner
- Minnesota Airways LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- GDB · Granite Falls, MN
- Destination
- LNK · Lincoln, NE
- Airport
- LNK · Lincoln Municipal Airport, runway 17, 5,400 × 100 ft, concrete
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 21, 2008
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 18,850 total · 140 in this make and model · 18,850 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.78 inHg
- Observed at
- LNK
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 14, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 115 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N4420K · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.