Go Back  Airline Pilot Central Forums > Pilot Lounge > Safety
Twin nose gear failure in Arlington, TX >

Twin nose gear failure in Arlington, TX

Search

Notices
Safety Accidents, suggestions on improving safety, etc

Twin nose gear failure in Arlington, TX

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 01-24-2012 | 02:16 PM
  #1  
Thread Starter
Line Holder
 
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
From: moving along
Default Twin nose gear failure in Arlington, TX

Nose gear landing failure in arlington, texas. Good job by the instructor.
Video below

Plane Lands Safely in Arlington | NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Reply
Old 01-25-2012 | 04:15 AM
  #2  
alarkyokie's Avatar
Weekends off? HA!
 
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 991
Likes: 0
Default

Dumb question?
Why did the pilot deadstick it in?
Fire potential?
Reply
Old 01-25-2012 | 04:54 AM
  #3  
UAL T38 Phlyer's Avatar
Moderate Moderator
 
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 5,681
Likes: 0
From: Curator at Static Display
Default

More likely trying to save ex$pensive damage to the engines and props. I'm not an expert on this, but I think if the engines are off, worst case, you just replace the props. Running? Possibly the crankshafts too, which means you are replacing the whole engine.

It's already going to cost him to fix the gear, and the skin damge under the nose....
Reply
Old 01-25-2012 | 04:57 AM
  #4  
N9373M's Avatar
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,115
Likes: 1
From: 127.0.0.1
Default

Originally Posted by alarkyokie
Dumb question?
Why did the pilot deadstick it in?
Fire potential?
To protect his props and associated engine damage from a prop strike. Potentially saved tens of thousands of dollars on rebuilds/inspections.
Reply
Old 01-25-2012 | 05:16 AM
  #5  
USMCFLYR's Avatar
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 13,843
Likes: 1
From: FAA 'Flight Check'
Default

Originally Posted by UAL T38 Phlyer
More likely trying to save ex$pensive damage to the engines and props. I'm not an expert on this, but I think if the engines are off, worst case, you just replace the props. Running? Possibly the crankshafts too, which means you are replacing the whole engine.

It's already going to cost him to fix the gear, and the skin damge under the nose....
Originally Posted by N9373M
To protect his props and associated engine damage from a prop strike. Potentially saved tens of thousands of dollars on rebuilds/inspections.
I thought it was to avoid dmage to the engines from a prop strike too.
Looks like the instructor did an excellent job. Bravo Zulu!

UAL - it is amazing how little damage can be done to the underbelly of an aircraft after a collasped gear, or even gear up, landing. I saw a hawker Hunter once right after a gear up landing and it was hard to see the damage until you saw the antenna on the belly near the aft end which got pushed up into the fuselage. Of course it had the added benefit of having drop tanks on it, but even they were remarkably damage free.

USMCFLYR
Reply
Old 01-25-2012 | 08:49 AM
  #6  
UAL T38 Phlyer's Avatar
Moderate Moderator
 
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 5,681
Likes: 0
From: Curator at Static Display
Default

USMC:

True. We had a T-38 here about 2003 land gear-up (had to; he had sheared a main off at KJAN, by touching down short of the runway!!)

First, it was surprising how far he slid after touchdown....about 3500 ft. I looked at the jet the next day in the hangar. Surprisingly little skin damage was done to the fuselage. The checklist calls for landing on the speedbrake (belly, forward of the wing) and flaps. Speedbrake is a heavy chunk of metal, flaps are thin-skinned.

The speedbrake had been ground half-off, through the hydraulic attach point, until it allowed the nose to fall. The flaps? Only the bottom 3 inches were affected, and at that, not ground-off---just bent backwards. Just the opposite of what I had expected.

It cost some money, but it was flying about 6 months later.
Reply
Old 01-25-2012 | 09:20 AM
  #7  
TheFly's Avatar
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,300
Likes: 0
From: Seat 0B
Default

Some light twins have skid pads on the bottom of the fuselage to protect it in such scenarios as well.

Nice job, CFI.
Reply
Old 01-25-2012 | 09:21 AM
  #8  
USMCFLYR's Avatar
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 13,843
Likes: 1
From: FAA 'Flight Check'
Default

Originally Posted by UAL T38 Phlyer
USMC:

True. We had a T-38 here about 2003 land gear-up (had to; he had sheared a main off at KJAN, by touching down short of the runway!!)

First, it was surprising how far he slid after touchdown....about 3500 ft. I looked at the jet the next day in the hangar. Surprisingly little skin damage was done to the fuselage. The checklist calls for landing on the speedbrake (belly, forward of the wing) and flaps. Speedbrake is a heavy chunk of metal, flaps are thin-skinned.

The speedbrake had been ground half-off, through the hydraulic attach point, until it allowed the nose to fall. The flaps? Only the bottom 3 inches were affected, and at that, not ground-off---just bent backwards. Just the opposite of what I had expected.

It cost some money, but it was flying about 6 months later.
The particular plane I was talking about was flying less than a work week later! I expected the entire fuselage to be ground down to a nubbin
Student or IP landing short?

USMCFLYR
Reply
Old 01-25-2012 | 04:52 PM
  #9  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 276
Likes: 0
Default

If you have the time, feather them, shut 'em down, starter the props horizontal if two blade. Had a friend on a 310 could not get the nose gear down. He did this, and all he had to replace were the nose gear doors. That was all. Lucky SOB!
Reply
Old 01-26-2012 | 01:36 AM
  #10  
rickair7777's Avatar
Prime Minister/Moderator
Veteran: Navy
 
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 44,870
Likes: 668
From: Engines Turn or People Swim
Default

Originally Posted by wizepilot
If you have the time, feather them, shut 'em down, starter the props horizontal if two blade. Had a friend on a 310 could not get the nose gear down. He did this, and all he had to replace were the nose gear doors. That was all. Lucky SOB!

Yes. Stopping the engines is not enough, they will still windmill until you get very slow and might still be turning at touchdown. So you have to feather and then bump the starter to get the props horizontal...pretty busy on short final but it can be done. Just make sure you have the runway made.

You have to do the tear-down inspection if the prop hits the runway....regardless of whether the engine is running, windmilling, or stopped. At least cut the mixture, you'll still have to the tear-down but you probably won't have to replace anything.
Reply
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
FLowpayFO
Regional
26
05-26-2010 08:11 PM
FMI
Major
5
07-26-2009 04:16 PM
ERJ135
Regional
19
07-17-2008 03:45 PM
allflight57
Technical
18
02-15-2008 10:09 AM
thrustborne
Technical
5
04-26-2007 05:40 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



Your Privacy Choices