Aero Commander GA-500-B N444CB

Summary

On 15 November 2007 at about 00:20 local time, a Aero Commander GA-500-B registered N444CB was involved in an accident near Kansas City, Missouri, United States. One person was 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

15 November 2007 at 00:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Kansas City, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Downtown Airport (MKC)

Coordinates

39.1231, -94.5925

Aircraft

Aero Commander GA-500-B

Registration

N444CB

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cahokia → Kansas City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CHI08LA044

Nobody was injured.

The pilot delayed lowering the landing gear in the landing sequence and the main gear were not in the down and locked position upon touchdown.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he performed the landing checklist while he was on a visual approach following jet traffic to the runway. He lowered the landing gear and flaps, and confirmed that the three green lights illuminated. He reported that the flare and landing were normal, and when the nose gear touched the runway he applied brake pressure. He reported that the "main landing gear collapsed and I could no longer maintain centerline of the runway." The airplane skidded on its belly for about 270 feet. The inspection of the airplane revealed that the left and right main landing gear were folded back with the wheels canted sideways and resting on the runway. The nose gear was in the down position. The landing gear handle was found in the down and locked position. When the master switch was turned on, the nose gear down lock light was on, and the left and right main gear lock lights were not on. The airplane was raised up using a forklift and aircraft jacks. When the main landing gear were free of the runway, both main landing gear locked in place in the down position. When the airplane was lowered onto its main landing gear, the two main landing gear lights illuminated. The propellers had not struck the runway during the accident, so the engines were started and the airplane was taxied back to the operator's hangar. The inspection of the main landing gear revealed that there was no evidence that the airplane's main landing gear lock down mechanism had failed on either the left or right main landing gear.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.