Beechcraft E-55 N25612

Summary

On 31 March 2007 at about 14:38 local time, a Beechcraft E-55 registered N25612 was involved in an incident near Key West, Florida, United States. 2 people were 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

31 March 2007 at 14:38

Classification

Incident

Location

Key West, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Key West Intl (EYW)

Coordinates

24.5561, -81.7594

Aircraft

Beechcraft E-55

Registration

N25612

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sarasota → Key West

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA07IA080

Nobody was injured.

Failure of the nose landing gear drag brace due to overload during landing rollout for undetermined reasons. Contributing to the accident was the airplane had not been modified with an improved nose landing gear drag brace.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that when he extended the landing gear on final approach he received a green gear down light. During landing rollout the nose landing gear collapsed. Examination of the airplane after the incident by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors showed the nose landing gear torque link had failed, causing the nose landing gear to collapse. Metallurgical examination of the nose landing gear drag brace was performed at the National Transportation Safety Board Materials Laboratory. The examination showed the drag brace had fractured in the tubing; at a point just forward of the right attach point. The fracture faces displayed surfaces that were inclined at approximately 45-degrees to the axis of the separated portion of the tubing, consistent with an overload event. The incident airplane was manufactured in January 1973. A representative from Hawker-Beechcraft stated that beginning in model year 1978, an improved nose landing gear drag brace was incorporated into new production airplanes. Beech also issued service kit 35-4012-1 S, which allowed for upgrade of earlier model E-55 airplanes with the improved nose landing gear drag brace. The representative stated that pictures of the failed drag brace from the accident airplane shows it was not the improved drag brace. Maintenance personnel for the incident airplane owner stated that a review of airplane logbook records show no evidence that the drag brace had been changed in the life of the airplane and that the failed drag brace appeared to be the original supplied with the airplane from the factory.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.