Mitsubishi MU-2B-20 N52CD

Summary

On 16 January 2011 at about 20:00 local time, a Mitsubishi MU-2B-20 registered N52CD was involved in an incident near Walterboro, South Carolina, 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

16 January 2011 at 20:00

Classification

Incident

Location

Walterboro, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Lowcounty Regional Airport (RBW)

Coordinates

32.9208, -80.6411

Aircraft

Mitsubishi MU-2B-20

Registration

N52CD

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Edenton → Watertown

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA11IA172

Nobody was injured.

The inadequate inspection and rigging of the nose landing gear downlock mechanism by maintenance personnel, which resulted in the failure of a bolt and the subsequent collapse of the nose gear during the landing roll.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported hearing a “pop” sound from the nose gear area when the gear was extended for the landing. Toward the end of the landing roll, the nose gear collapsed. A postaccident examination of the nose gear revealed that the bolt that holds the downlock drag brace joint link to the airframe structure had fractured. A metallurgical examination revealed that the bolt failed in reverse bending fatigue, which is associated with the bolt having insufficient clamping pressure (looseness). The airplane’s last required inspection was about 70 flight hours and 40 gear cycles before the nose gear collapsing, and the nose gear downlock system rigging should have been inspected at that time.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.