Beechcraft 1900D N169GL

Summary

On 1 September 2013 at about 19:10 local time, a Beechcraft 1900D registered N169GL, operated by Great Lakes Aviation Ltd, was involved in an accident near Telluride, Colorado, United States. 12 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

1 September 2013 at 19:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Telluride, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Telluride Rgnl (TEX)

Coordinates

37.9531, -107.9056

Aircraft

Beechcraft 1900D

Registration

N169GL

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Great Lakes Aviation Ltd

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Denver → Telluride

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DCA13FA148

Nobody was injured.

Failure of the left main landing gear actuator internal lock to engage in the locked position for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During approach to landing the crew selected landing gear down and observed a problem with the left main landing gear (MLG). The landing gear hydraulic motor pump automatically shut down when the landing gear was not locked down after 16 seconds and an internal mechanical lock intended to hold the landing gear actuator in the selected position, did not engage. The crew carried out the abnormal procedures checklist and attempted to extend the left MLG using the manual landing gear extension procedures, but was unsuccessful. The crew then prepared for landing in accordance with the procedures contained in the quick reference handbook for landing with main gear up or unsafe. As the airplane slowed through about 80 knots on the landing roll, the left main landing gear collapsed. Post-accident inspection indicated hydraulic fluid had leaked from a hole, which was normally plugged with a Lee plug, on the left main actuator between the primary and secondary extend ports. The Lee plug was missing and was not found. Examination of the actuator and of the hydraulic fluid quantity remaining indicated the Lee plug was in place during the in-flight attempts to extend the landing gear. The airplane landed with the gear not locked down and as the landing gear collapsed, the piston in the actuator forced hydraulic fluid back through the system increasing the landing gear actuator internal hydraulic pressure sufficiently to force the Lee plug out of position. The remaining fluid in the actuator leaked out of the hole until system pressure decreased to ambient pressure.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.