Reims F406 N6591R

Summary

On 9 March 2005 at about 22:30 local time, a Reims F406 registered N6591R was involved in an incident near Nome, Alaska, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 March 2005 at 22:30

Classification

Incident

Location

Nome, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Nome (PAOM)

Coordinates

64.5122, -165.4453

Aircraft

Reims F406

Registration

N6591R

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Savoonga → Nome

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC05IA048

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the nose gear up lock actuator bracket during the landing approach due to fatigue cracking, which resulted in a nose wheel up landing. A factor associated with the incident is the mechanical binding of the nose wheel locking mechanism.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airline transport certificated pilot of the Title 14, CFR Part 91, positioning flight reported getting an unsafe nose gear indication prior to landing, and was unable to extend the nose gear. He landed the airplane with the nose wheel retracted. An inspection of the nose landing gear up lock actuator bracket by the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge, revealed that both the left and right sides of the bracket had fatigue cracks that propagated from the top of each side to the top of a lightening hole near the center of each side. The lower portion of the bracket had distorted, changing its position relative to the nose wheel up lock mechanism, which rendered the up lock unable to disengage. Maintenance records indicated compliance with inspection guidelines for the affected area by the operator. The pilot reported that there were no other mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the incident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.