- Date
- March 29, 1996, 17:33 local (22:33 UTC)
- Place
- Eau Claire, WI
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N292RGSocata TBM-700
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 18, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960329046429A
- Case key
- 10224
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
fatigue fracture and subsequent failure of the gear door hinge bracket.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot reported that an 'unsafe gear door light' was displayed 'shortly after departing.' He recycled the landing gear. The right main landing gear did not extend. He performed several normal and emergency gear extension attempts with no success. He had several telephone patch conversations with the airplane manufacturer and flight safety. The right main landing gear could not be lowered. He orbited to burn down fuel, declared an emergency, and conducted a gear up landing. Examination of the right main landing gear revealed a fatigue fracture in the right inboard landing gear door forward hinge bracket. The door was wedged in the wheel well.
Factual narrative
On March 29, 1996, at 1733 central standard time, a Socata TBM-700, N292RG, operated by Chemrite Industries, Inc. sustained substantial damage while landing in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, with the right main landing gear in the retracted position. The commercial pilot and private pilot rated passenger reported no injuries. The 14 CFR Part 91, business flight originated in Rice Lake, Wisconsin at 1400 with a planned destination of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
In his written statement, the pilot reported that an "unsafe gear door light" was displayed "shortly after departing." He recycled the landing gear. The right main landing gear did not extend. He performed several normal and emergency gear extension attempts with no success. He had several telephone patch conversations with the airplane manufacturer and flight safety. The right main landing gear could not be lowered. He orbited to burn down fuel, declared an emergency, and conducted a gear up landing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower fuselage.
Examination of the right main landing gear revealed the right inboard landing gear door, forward hinge bracket was fractured. The door was wedged in the wheel well. The fractured bracket was examined by a NTSB metallurgist. In his factual report, he stated "SEM inspections of the crack revealed fatigue progression features emanating from both surfaces of the mounting flange."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N292RG
- Reported as
- Socata TBM-700
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 14
- Airframe hours
- 720
- Engine
- P&W PT6A-64, 700 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Chemrite Industries, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 29, 1996 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- RIE · Rice Lake, WI
- Destination
- MWC · Milwaukee, WI
- Airport
- EAU · Chippewa Valley Regional, runway 4, 7,311 × 150 ft, concrete
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 29
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,126 total · 218 in this make and model · 1,065 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 50 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.