Dassault DA-20 N175GA

Summary

On 4 April 2000 at about 21:24 local time, a Dassault DA-20 registered N175GA was involved in an incident near Opa Locka, Florida, 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

4 April 2000 at 21:24

Classification

Incident

Location

Opa Locka, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Opa Locka (OPF)

Coordinates

25.9092, -80.2690

Aircraft

Dassault DA-20

Registration

N175GA

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Louisville → Opa Locka

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA00IA128

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the PIC to execute the complete procedure for emergency extension of the landing gear and the subsequent landing with the left main landing gear not locked fully down, resulting in an excursion off the runway and collision with a runway stanchion. A factor in the incident was the fatigue failure of the left MLG door hydraulic emergency slide valve bolts due to non-compliance with a 1984 factory service bulletin that recommended replacement with larger bolts.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the PIC, when the landing gear selector was positioned to the gear down position in preparation for landing, the landing gear did not extend and cockpit indications confirmed not down. A go around was executed and 'Procedure A' of the 'Emergency Gear Extension' checklist was executed. The result was a down and locked indication of the nose gear and the right main gear, no indication of the left gear being down, both hydraulic system quantities started decreasing, and control pressures felt in the yoke/stick indicated that the flight controls were losing their boost. The PIC elected to declare an emergency with the tower and execute a 2 gear down/1 gear up landing instead of completing the 'Procedure B' and 'Procedure C' portions of the checklist. The aircraft swerved off the left edge of the runway and sustained minor left under-wing skin scraping and a puncture to the left wing droop. Examination of the left wheel well revealed the malfunction causing the double hydraulic system leakage was the failure of two bolts attaching the hydraulic emergency slide valve to the left gear door actuating cylinder. Dassault Falcon Jet Service Bulletin FJF 32-160 dated April 26, 1984, recommends replacement of the 4-mm bolts with 5-mm bolts, to be accomplished, 'when the components are returned for major overhaul or repair, or upon request'. The incident aircraft had not undergone accomplishment of Service Bulletin FJF 32-160.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.