Bombardier DHC 8 202 N366PH

Summary

On 24 September 2016 at about 14:15 local time, a Bombardier DHC 8 202 registered N366PH, operated by Champlain Enterprises, LLC, was involved in an accident near Dulles, Virginia, United States. 24 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

24 September 2016 at 14:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Dulles, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Washington Dulles Intl (IAD)

Coordinates

38.9531, -77.4564

Aircraft

Bombardier DHC 8 202

Registration

N366PH

Category

Airplane

Year built

1998

Engines

2

Operator

Champlain Enterprises, LLC

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Albany → Dulles

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

DCA16CA226

Nobody was injured.

incorrect installation of the frangible towing fuse that prevented the nose landing gear from extending.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

On September 24 2016, at about 1015 PM EDT, Commutair flight 4919, a De Havilland Dash 8-200, N366PH, performed a nose gear up landing on runway 1R after the nose gear would not fully extend during approach to Washington Dulles International Airport (KIAD), Dulles, Virginia.  The passengers were evacuated via exit doors on the runway.  There were no injuries to the 21 passengers and 3 crew members and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 as a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Albany International Airport (KALB), Albany, New York to KIAD. According to the operator, the airplane was scheduled for maintenance during an overnight period on the evening before the accident flight at the Albany Maintenance Hangar Facility at KALB.  As part of the scheduled maintenance, a frangible towing fuse in the nose landing gear mechanism was removed and replaced.  The aircraft was released from maintenance and signed off for revenue service on the morning of the accident flight. According to the flight crew, the flight was uneventful until the final approach phase when they were configuring the airplane for landing at KIAD.  After selecting the gear down, both main landing gear indicated down and locked but the nose gear indicated that the gear doors remained open and that the gear was unsafe. The flight crew then retracted the main landing gear and climbed to 3000 feet. While at altitude, the flight crew attempted to lower the gear a second time but the same result was indicated.  The flight crew then performed the manual gear extension, but the nose gear still failed to extend. The flight conducted a low pass of the airport and ground personnel confirmed that the main landing gear were down, but the nose gear was retracted with the doors open. The flight crew climbed back to 3,000 feet, declared an emergency and requested airport emergency vehicles standby. During the landing roll, the nose of the airplane contacted the runway surface and the captain shut down the engines after the airplane came to a stop and called for an evacuation.  None of the passengers or crew were injured.  Examination of the airplane found substantial damage to the airplane skin and forward pressure vessel as a result of the contact with the runway.  Inspection of the nose gear system found that the frangible towing fuse, which was replaced before the flight, was incorrectly installed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.