N960VBeech F90 · 1980

On May 18, 2020, about 1110 central daylight time, a Beech F90, N960V, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), Knoxville, Tennessee. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 corporate flight.

According to the pilot, after takeoff from TYS, he moved the landing gear handle to the retract position; afterward, the red “gear unsafe” light illuminated. The pilot returned to the airport and conducted a low-altitude approach so that an airport tower controller could visually confirm the landing gear position. The tower controller reported that the nose landing gear appeared “slanted like it wasn’t down and locked.” The pilot performed the unsafe gear checklist and attempted to manually lower the landing gear, but the red gear unsafe light remained illuminated. During a subsequent low-altitude approach, the controller indicated that the main gear appeared down but that the nose gear did not appear to be fully down and locked.

The pilot conducted another low-altitude approach and was told that the gear condition had not changed. He then elected to perform a precautionary landing. Shortly after touchdown, the main and nose landing gear collapsed. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and came to rest on a taxiway.

Examination of the airplane revealed that several stringers and ribs were impact damaged, the nose landing gear actuator punctured the top of the fuselage, and the left aileron was impact damaged. Examination of the left main landing gear revealed that the landing gear scissors had fractured at the bolt attachment area and that the landing gear was twisted sideways and jammed against the main landing gear doors. The landing gear circuit breaker that controlled the landing gear motor had popped. Examination of the landing gear handle revealed that the emergency engage handle was not placed in the STOP detent, the position indicated in the landing gear manual extension procedures in the pilot’s operating handbook.

A review of the operator’s maintenance records revealed that. on February 6, 2020, the airplane underwent a landing gear overhaul. At the time of the overhaul, the airplane had accumulated a total of 12,512 hours. At the time of the accident, the airplane had a total time of 12,533 hours During the 21 hours that the airplane flew between the landing gear overhaul and the accident, no reports of any mechanical irregularity were documented.