Incident Overview
On the morning of the incident, a pilot was asked by the aircraft owner to perform a maintenance test flight following a month-long maintenance period. The pilot, a pilot-rated occupant in the right front seat, and another individual conducted a full preflight inspection. The flight departed and remained in the traffic pattern. The approach and landing appeared normal until the landing roll, when the airplane abruptly pulled to the left. The pilot brought the aircraft to a stop on the runway and informed the control tower that he and the occupants were safe and that they had a braking issue.
Post-Landing Observations
One occupant—the president of the facility that had completed the annual inspection—exited the airplane and noted that the left main landing gear torque links were separated and the main landing gear tire had rotated. The aircraft was raised on jacks, the torque links were reconnected, and the airplane was towed to the ramp.
Another occupant, the right front seat passenger, reported that during the approach the flight was high and fast. Full flaps were extended, and the landing was described as "a bit hard" compared to what he was accustomed to. The pilot concurrently stated that the aircraft was pulling to the left as if the brake had locked. The right front seat occupant assisted in maintaining directional control until the airplane stopped. Exiting the aircraft, he observed that the left main landing gear wheel assembly was rotated 15–20 degrees left of its normal position, and the upper and lower link assemblies (part numbers 5141005-7 and 5141005-9, respectively) were not connected to each other. However, the bolt, bushing, two AN washers, castellated nut, cotter pin, and clamp securing the flexible hydraulic hose remained installed in the upper link assembly.
Inspection and Missing Examination
After the aircraft was recovered, a hard landing inspection of the landing gear was performed, which revealed no damage. The landing gear was then repaired before the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) could examine the aircraft.
Subsequently, the NTSB examined one of the washers from the incident. The measured outside diameter was approximately 0.570 inch, and the thickness was approximately 0.061 inch. The specified washer part numbers are 5045018-1 (when exhausted, use 5045018-2). The -1 and -2 washers have an outside diameter of 0.750 inch and an inside diameter of 0.313 inch +0.031 inch. The -1 washer is 0.032 inch thick, while the -2 is 0.063 inch thick. Cessna Service Kit SK 421-118, dated November 23, 1983, calls for installation of a -2 washer under the bolt head and nut that secure the torque links, and also requires inspection of the torque links. The Service Kit further specifies that washer part number S1450-5H12-063 will be incorporated into the next revision.
Maintenance History
The airplane's last inspection was on May 16, 2003, an annual inspection performed in accordance with 14 CFR Part 43 appendix D and the "Inspection Time Limits" in the airplane maintenance manual. The manual's time limits for the main landing gear torque links state they are inspected for condition and security, then serviced. The discrepancy sheets for that annual inspection indicated that both main landing gears were removed and installed on another aircraft, with the corrective action reading "reinstalled right and left main landing gear on N402DD." According to the hour meter, the airplane had been operated for 0.25 hour since the annual inspection at the time of the incident.
Operational Context
At the time of the incident, Safe Air International, Inc., doing business as Island Express Airlines, was leasing the aircraft from its registered owner. The Director of Operations for Island Express reported that the incident pilot did not have permission to operate the airplane and was neither a pilot nor an employee of Safe Air International. Island Express did not authorize the test flight and first became aware of it after the incident occurred.
The owner of the airplane reported that two days before the incident, a letter had been sent from his attorney to Island Express advising that the owner had taken possession of the aircraft and that the lease was "in default."