Robert J Labonte DEFIANT N369BL

Summary

On 23 July 2004 at about 20:45 local time, a Robert J Labonte DEFIANT registered N369BL was involved in an accident near DeLand, Florida, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 July 2004 at 20:45

Classification

Accident

Location

DeLand, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

DeLand Municipal (KDED)

Coordinates

29.0669, -81.2839

Aircraft

Robert J Labonte DEFIANT

Registration

N369BL

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

New Smyrna Bch → DeLand

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA04LA111

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the pilot to fully extend the nose landing gear resulting in collapse of it during the landing roll. A contributing factor in the accident was the lack of a nose landing gear down and locked indicator.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that the flight proceeded to the destination airport area where he lowered the retractable nose landing gear during the base leg to land on runway 05. The flight turned final, touched down first on the main landing gears, then when he lowered the nose landing gear to the runway, it appeared to hold for an instant then collapsed. The airplane slid a distance then came to rest upright; he secured the airplane then both he and the passenger evacuated it. The nose was raised from the runway, the nose landing gear manual gear extension/retraction handle was lowered and locked into position, which locked the nose landing gear into the down and locked position. There is no nose landing gear down and locked light indication in the cockpit; he could see the nose landing gear was extended. He further reported there was no failure of the nose landing gear retraction/extension components, and the nose gear collapse was not a rigging issue but rather his failure to push forward on the retraction/extension handle with enough force.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.