Narrative:
A Beechcraft B99, N950AA, was substantially damaged when the nose wheel landing gear collapsed during landing roll at Billings Logan International Airport (BIL), Montana, USA. The pilot, the sole occupant in the airplane, was not injured. The pilot was flying on an activated instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan, which had an intended destination of Kalispell, Montana.
The pilot said that he had departed from Billings, Montana, and had climbed to 12,000 feet. About 40 nautical miles northwest of Billings, he heard a "clunk" and the red unsafe light in the gear handle came on. He verified that all systems were functioning normally, and he cycled the landing gear up and down to see if that would solve the problem. The unsafe light remained illuminated. The pilot returned to Billings and circled for several hours to burn his fuel load down. He said that at one point he flew low over the runway so the company mechanic, with the aid of a light from an airport vehicle, could visually check the nose gear position. It was hanging out of the wheel well at approximately a 45-degree angle. Upon landing at Billings, the airplane settled to its nose during landing rollout.
Examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed that the nose gear actuator mount bracket area was bent and wrinkled. The nose gear actuator shaft had fractured just above the clevis bolt, which attaches to the drag brace. The failed actuator had been installed on July 26, 2006. The Beech B99 maintenance manual states that the hydraulic actuator needs to be overhauled or replaced every 10,000 hours; maintenance records indicate that this one had 231.4 hours on it at the time of the accident. Metallurgists from both the National Transportation Safety Board and Hawker Beechcraft Corporation examined the failed actuator. Both concluded that all of the fractures were overstress, and no preexisting fatigue signatures were evident.
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The total failure of the nose landing gear actuator and the subsequent nose gear collapse during landing."
Runway mishap
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Saturday 19 May 2007 |
| Time: | 04:00 |
| Type: |  Beechcraft B99 Airliner |
| Operator: | Alpine Aviation |
| Registration: | N950AA |
| MSN: | U-159 |
| First flight: | 1974 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 34613 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Aircraft fate: | Repaired |
| Location: | Billings-Logan Field, MT (BIL) ( United States of America)
|
| Phase: | Landing (LDG) |
| Nature: | Cargo |
| Departure airport: | Billings-Logan Field, MT (BIL/KBIL), United States of America |
| Kalispell-Glacier Park International Airport, MT (FCA/KGPI), United States of America |
A Beechcraft B99, N950AA, was substantially damaged when the nose wheel landing gear collapsed during landing roll at Billings Logan International Airport (BIL), Montana, USA. The pilot, the sole occupant in the airplane, was not injured. The pilot was flying on an activated instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan, which had an intended destination of Kalispell, Montana.
The pilot said that he had departed from Billings, Montana, and had climbed to 12,000 feet. About 40 nautical miles northwest of Billings, he heard a "clunk" and the red unsafe light in the gear handle came on. He verified that all systems were functioning normally, and he cycled the landing gear up and down to see if that would solve the problem. The unsafe light remained illuminated. The pilot returned to Billings and circled for several hours to burn his fuel load down. He said that at one point he flew low over the runway so the company mechanic, with the aid of a light from an airport vehicle, could visually check the nose gear position. It was hanging out of the wheel well at approximately a 45-degree angle. Upon landing at Billings, the airplane settled to its nose during landing rollout.
Examination of the airplane by an FAA inspector revealed that the nose gear actuator mount bracket area was bent and wrinkled. The nose gear actuator shaft had fractured just above the clevis bolt, which attaches to the drag brace. The failed actuator had been installed on July 26, 2006. The Beech B99 maintenance manual states that the hydraulic actuator needs to be overhauled or replaced every 10,000 hours; maintenance records indicate that this one had 231.4 hours on it at the time of the accident. Metallurgists from both the National Transportation Safety Board and Hawker Beechcraft Corporation examined the failed actuator. Both concluded that all of the fractures were overstress, and no preexisting fatigue signatures were evident.
Probable Cause:
PROBABLE CAUSE: "The total failure of the nose landing gear actuator and the subsequent nose gear collapse during landing."
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Classification:
Landing gear collapseRunway mishap
Sources:
» NTSB id 20070703X00870Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Billings-Logan Field, MT to Kalispell-Glacier Park International Airport, MT as the crow flies is 511 km (319 miles).
Distance from Billings-Logan Field, MT to Kalispell-Glacier Park International Airport, MT as the crow flies is 511 km (319 miles).
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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