CEN10LA145

NTSB accident investigation · Hawker Beechcraft A36 · Milwaukee, WI · March 6, 2010

Accident · No injuriesLimited investigationFinal report
Date
March 6, 2010, 14:15 local (20:15 UTC)
Place
Milwaukee, WI
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Takeoff
Aircraft
N1114XHawker Beechcraft A36
Defining event
Takeoff: Landing gear collapse
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report July 1, 2010
Report
Approved by Office Director
NTSB office
Central Region
Parties
Hawker Beechcraft Corporation, Federal Aviation Administration
FAA report
20100306028799A
Case key
75463

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

On this page

Probable cause

The pilot's retraction of the landing gear prior to establishing a positive climb rate.

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.

Action: incorrect action performancePersonnel issues › Action/decision · PilotRaytheon A36: 3 casesAll aircraft: 1,386 casesProbable cause

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

The pilot reported that during a touch-and-go he touched down successfully and “normalized” the airplane for takeoff. He said that before breaking ground the gear inadvertently raised. An on-scene examination of the wreckage revealed that the landing gear handle was located in the "up" position. The airplane was raised and the landing gear lowered when electrical power was turned on in the airplane and the landing gear handle was placed in the "down" position. No mechanical anomalies were detected with the landing gear system that would have precluded normal operation. The airplane's takeoff checklist states, "Landing Gear - RETRACT (when positive rate-of-climb is established)."

Factual narrative

On March 6, 2010, about 1415 central standard time, a Hawker Beechcraft Corp. A36, N1114X, piloted by a commercial pilot, sustained substantial damage when its landing gear collapsed during a touch and go on runway 22R (3,201 feet by 75 feet, asphalt) at the Lawrence J. Timmerman Airport (MWC), near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The pilot was uninjured. The flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was on file for the flight. The flight originated from the Hartford Municipal Airport, near Hartford, Wisconsin, about 1400 and was destined for MWC. The pilot reported that he performed a touch and go on runway 15L at MWC without incident. The tower then switched him to runway 22R for the next touch and go. He reported that he touched down successfully and “normalized” the airplane for takeoff. He said, “With full power and before breaking ground the gear inadvertently raised.” A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the airplane on-scene. The landing gear handle was found selecting the up position. The airplane was raised and the landing gear lowered when electrical power was turned on in the airplane and the landing gear handle was placed in the down position. No mechanical anomalies were detected with the landing gear system that would have precluded normal operations. The airplane's take-off checklist, in part, stated, "Landing Gear - RETRACT (when positive rate-of-climb is established)"

Aircraft

Registration
N1114X
Reported as
Hawker Beechcraft A36
Category
Airplane
Serial number
E-3055
Airframe hours
862
Engine
Teledyne Continental IO-550-B, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Normal
Last inspection
Annual · September 2, 2009
Departed
HXF · Hartford, WI
Destination
MWC · Milwaukee, WI
Airport
MWC · Lawrence J Timmerman Airport, runway 22R, 3,201 × 75 ft, asphalt

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
78
Injuries
None
Certificate
Commercial
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 3, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
April 23, 2009
Seat
Left
Flight hours
5,400 total · 1,200 in this make and model · 5,100 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
190° at 5 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
None
Temperature
39 °F, dew point 14 °F
Altimeter
30.34 inHg
Observed at
MWC

Docket · 3

The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 8, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.1 MB 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.