Curtiss-Wright P-40E N4420K

Summary

On 24 October 2009 at about 15:20 local time, a Curtiss-Wright P-40E registered N4420K, operated by Minnesota Airways LLC, was involved in an incident near Lincoln, Nebraska, 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

24 October 2009 at 15:20

Classification

Incident

Location

Lincoln, Nebraska, United States

Nearest airport

Lincoln Municipal Airport (LNK)

Coordinates

40.8508, -96.7592

Aircraft

Curtiss-Wright P-40E

Registration

N4420K

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Minnesota Airways LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Granite Falls → Lincoln

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN10IA030

Nobody was injured.

The right landing gear's partial retraction during landing due to paint contamination of the landing gear handle detent.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Upon touchdown, the World War II era tailwheel-equipped airplane experienced an uncontrollable swerve as the right main landing gear began to collapse. As the right main gear exited the edge of the runway, the airplane rocked forward onto its nose and the propeller and left wing tip impacted the ground. The airplane rocked back and came to rest partially off the runway in an upright and right wing low position. An examination of the landing gear retraction system revealed that the landing gear handle detent was contaminated with paint. Subsequently, the landing gear handle did not stay in the detent which resulted in the right landing gear downlock pin to partially retract followed by the partial retraction of the right main landing gear.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.