N5093C

On August 25, 1994, at 1330 Pacific daylight time (PDT), a Beech E-35, N5093C, landed with a retracted nose gear at Snohomish County Airport, Everett, Washington. The flight instructor and his two passengers were not injured, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The personal pleasure flight, which departed Bremerton International Airport, Bremerton, Washington, about one-half hour earlier, was operating in visual meteorological conditions at the time of the accident. No flight plan had been filed, and there was no report of an ELT activation.

During a telephone interview and subsequent written statement, the pilot reported that while approaching the airport for landing, he lowered the landing gear. The pilot trimmed the airplane and noted that the trim wheel locked and there was some added force on the elevator control. The pilot also noted that the landing gear mechanical pointer showed that the landing gear was retracted and neither the gear up or down lights were illuminated. The pilot looked at the wing mirrors and saw that the main landing gear looked down, however, the nose gear was not extended. The pilot retracted the gear and immediately found that the trim wheel became free and there was no resistance on the elevator control. The pilot then extended the landing gear and noted that the mains extended but not the nose gear. The pilot then notified the tower and did a fly-by to confirm his situation.

The pilot departed the pattern and prepared the airplane to manually extend the landing gear, however, the nose gear still did not extend. The pilot then notified the tower that he was going to land with the main landing gear down and the nose gear retracted. During the landing, the airplane slid on its nose before coming to rest.

During the post crash inspection, it was found that the gear retract link rod was broken. Further inspection found that the heim rod end of the gear retract link rod had broken just aft of the locking nut where the eye of the rod end attaches to the gear retract idler arm assembly. The gear retract link rod was putting pressure on a gang of pulleys which stopped the trim wheel. With the gear up, the trim wheel was free. When the gear was down, the gear retract link rod was pushed forward and to the left through the bulkhead assembly.