- Date
- June 24, 1985, 17:39 local (21:39 UTC)
- Place
- San Juan, PR
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7DDMitsubishi MU-2K
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 31292
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
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
After departure the nose gear unsafe light remained illuminated peter gear retraction. Attempts to get a safe light on the nose gear in the extended position was unsuccessful and when the aircraft landed it settled onto a partially retracted nose gear. Inspection of the aircraft revealed that the nose gear strut had not fully extended and that when the gear was retracted the nose gear tires caught the nose gear doors preventing them from opening. The gear retracted against the gear doors causing failure ofthe retract jackscrew. A microswitch which cuts the gear motor off when this condition occurrs was found out of adjustment and did not operate. Additionally it was found that the mechanics who did the last gear retract test on the aircraft used a maintenance manual for an earlier model aircraft which did not have this safety switch thus failing to check it for adjustment. No reason as to why the nose gear strut did not fully extend was found.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7DD
- Reported as
- Mitsubishi MU-2K
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 297
- Airframe hours
- 2,170
- Engine
- Airesearch TPE331-6-251M, 724 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Executive Airline & Charter
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · May 20, 1985 · 50 hours before
- Departed
- STT · St.Thomas
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- SJU · Puerto Rico International, runway 10, 8,000 × 150 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
- 39
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,412 total · 337 in this make and model · 10,281 as pilot in command · 110 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SJU