Aircraft damaged as a challenger ii ultralight private pilot experiences a nose over event during a ...

Attributes
ACN	591875
Time
Date	200308
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : s59.airport
State Reference	MT
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : personal
Make Model Name	Ultralight
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	ground : taxi
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : private
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 71 flight time total : 340 flight time type : 5
ASRS Report	591875
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical ground encounters : gear up landing ground encounters other other anomaly other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : unable
Consequence	other other other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance Aircraft Company Environmental Factor
Primary Problem	Aircraft

Narrative:

Pilot was undergoing training and familiarization flts on 2 seater challenger 2 ultralight on lake koocanusa in montana. The aircraft is amphibious, equipped with both wheels and floats supplied by company in canada. After several successful lndgs on water with wheels retracted, the pilot tried to lower the wheels for a ground landing but found the front gear to be jammed in the raised position. The pilot then retracted the rear wheels and landed on water in order to assess the cause of the front wheel having jammed in the 'up' position. It is also possible that whilst looking for suitable landing sites, the pilot may have inadvertently flown within 500 ft of people or structures. During a high speed taxi towards land, the front gear which is spring loaded suddenly became unjammed and being spring loaded, immediately deployed itself to its full extent into the water. The resulting drag caused the aircraft to nose over, resulting in some minor cosmetic damage and bending of minor spars and struts. The pilot exited the aircraft and arranged to have it towed to shore where it was righted and removed from the scene. No injuries resulted. Upon later inspection, it was determined that the twin front wheels when being retracted on some occasions are forced either side of the 3 inch down tube holding the telescopically mounted tube to which the wheels are attached. This resulted in the inability to manually lower the front wheel. A modification is being made in the form of a stop plate to stop the front wheel from being retracted beyond a certain distance. It is my belief that all aircraft fitted with similar floats and wheels, should have a similar stop plate fitted to prevent similar incidents from occurring.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT DAMAGED AS A CHALLENGER II ULTRALIGHT PVT PLT EXPERIENCES A NOSE OVER EVENT DURING A HIGH SPD TAXI ON A LAKE AS THE PROBLEMATIC NOSE GEAR COMES UNSTUCK NEAR S59, MT.

Narrative: PLT WAS UNDERGOING TRAINING AND FAMILIARIZATION FLTS ON 2 SEATER CHALLENGER 2 ULTRALIGHT ON LAKE KOOCANUSA IN MONTANA. THE ACFT IS AMPHIBIOUS, EQUIPPED WITH BOTH WHEELS AND FLOATS SUPPLIED BY COMPANY IN CANADA. AFTER SEVERAL SUCCESSFUL LNDGS ON WATER WITH WHEELS RETRACTED, THE PLT TRIED TO LOWER THE WHEELS FOR A GND LNDG BUT FOUND THE FRONT GEAR TO BE JAMMED IN THE RAISED POS. THE PLT THEN RETRACTED THE REAR WHEELS AND LANDED ON WATER IN ORDER TO ASSESS THE CAUSE OF THE FRONT WHEEL HAVING JAMMED IN THE 'UP' POS. IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE THAT WHILST LOOKING FOR SUITABLE LNDG SITES, THE PLT MAY HAVE INADVERTENTLY FLOWN WITHIN 500 FT OF PEOPLE OR STRUCTURES. DURING A HIGH SPD TAXI TOWARDS LAND, THE FRONT GEAR WHICH IS SPRING LOADED SUDDENLY BECAME UNJAMMED AND BEING SPRING LOADED, IMMEDIATELY DEPLOYED ITSELF TO ITS FULL EXTENT INTO THE WATER. THE RESULTING DRAG CAUSED THE ACFT TO NOSE OVER, RESULTING IN SOME MINOR COSMETIC DAMAGE AND BENDING OF MINOR SPARS AND STRUTS. THE PLT EXITED THE ACFT AND ARRANGED TO HAVE IT TOWED TO SHORE WHERE IT WAS RIGHTED AND REMOVED FROM THE SCENE. NO INJURIES RESULTED. UPON LATER INSPECTION, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TWIN FRONT WHEELS WHEN BEING RETRACTED ON SOME OCCASIONS ARE FORCED EITHER SIDE OF THE 3 INCH DOWN TUBE HOLDING THE TELESCOPICALLY MOUNTED TUBE TO WHICH THE WHEELS ARE ATTACHED. THIS RESULTED IN THE INABILITY TO MANUALLY LOWER THE FRONT WHEEL. A MODIFICATION IS BEING MADE IN THE FORM OF A STOP PLATE TO STOP THE FRONT WHEEL FROM BEING RETRACTED BEYOND A CERTAIN DISTANCE. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT ALL ACFT FITTED WITH SIMILAR FLOATS AND WHEELS, SHOULD HAVE A SIMILAR STOP PLATE FITTED TO PREVENT SIMILAR INCIDENTS FROM OCCURRING.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Aircraft damaged as a challenger ii ultralight private pilot experiences a nose over event during a high speed taxi on a lake as the problematic nose gear comes unstuck near S59, mt.