Socata TB20 N2519T

Summary

On 25 February 2017 at about 16:15 local time, a Socata TB20 registered N2519T was involved in an accident near Melbourne, Florida, 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

25 February 2017 at 16:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Melbourne, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Melbourne Intl (MLB)

Coordinates

28.1028, -80.6453

Aircraft

Socata TB20

Registration

N2519T

Category

Airplane

Year built

1989

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Key West → Daytona Beach

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17LA130

Nobody was injured.

Improper installation of the circlip within the nose gear strut, which resulted in the strut overextending in the wheel well and preventing the nose landing gear from extending during landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

During a personal flight, the airplane's alternator warning light flashed and the battery began to discharge, so the pilot conducted a precautionary landing. The nose landing gear did not fully deploy, and the pilot performed a gear-up landing. Examination of the landing gear system revealed the nose landing gear was jammed within the wheel well because the nose strut had overextended. Further, the circlip that held the strut inside the gear assembly was dislodged from the groove. Paint was identified on the outer portion of the circlip. Review of the maintenance records revealed that the nose landing gear was disassembled and repaired more than 2 years and 75 flight hours before the accident flight. The airplane was fully painted after that maintenance. According to the airplane maintenance manual, the circlip should have been fully installed in the groove, and the landing gear should be rotated several times to confirm proper installation. If the circlip had been properly installed inside the nose strut housing groove at the time paint was applied, paint would not have been on the outer surface of the circlip. It is likely that the circlip was improperly installed when the nose landing gear was repaired; it eventually became dislodged sufficiently to cause the internal strut to overextend and the gear to become jammed within the wheel well.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.