Fuel exhaustion Incident Beechcraft D55 VH-MKE, 19 Jun 1987
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 217464
 
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Date:19-JUN-1987
Time:21:01
Type:Silhouette image of generic BE55 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Beechcraft D55
Owner/operator:
Registration: VH-MKE
MSN: TE-592
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:0
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Location:Bankstown Airport (YSBK), Bankstown, NSW -   Australia
Phase: Landing
Nature:Cargo
Departure airport:
Destination airport:
Investigating agency: BASI
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
Following a normal approach for a night landing, touchdown was made on the main landing gear. The pilot then noticed that the nose was lowering by an excessive amount, and he carried out a successful go-around. Examinations from the ground and from a helicopter equipped with a searchlight revealed that the nose gear was inclined at about 30 degrees to the vertical. The position of the nose gear did not alter when the gear was cycled. After all attempts to lower the nose gear were unsuccessful, the pilot elected to carry out a landing with the main gear retracted. He was unable to use the grass flight strip alongside the lighted runway because of obstructions, and chose to land on an unlit strip. The left engine failed because of fuel exhaustion when the aircraft was on final approach. After touchdown, the aircraft slid off the end of the strip and came to rest against the boundary fence. It was determined that the nosegear retract rod plunger had failed from fatigue, resulting in the nosegear being isolated from the remainder of the landing gear system.

Sources:

https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/1987/aair/aair198702410/
https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/31485/aair198702410.pdf



Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: BASI
Status: Investigation completed
Duration:
Download report: Final report
Other occurrences involving this aircraft

28 Apr 1988 VH-MKE 0 Warkworth Airport (YWKW), Warkworth, NSW sub


Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
09-Nov-2018 14:13 Pineapple Added

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

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