What happened
On January 2, 2023, at approximately 12:00 local time, an experimental Velocity Serg 173 was performing a touch-and-go maneuver on runway 23 at the Santo Domingo Aerodrome (SCSN) in the Valparaíso Region. During the sequence, the aircraft's nose landing gear failed to extend. The aircraft subsequently landed with the nose gear retracted, causing it to come to a stop on the runway.
The pilot and two passengers were uninjured during the event and were able to exit the aircraft on their own. However, the aircraft sustained significant damage to the nose landing gear bay, including loss of material from both gear doors and a fractured battery support.
The investigation
DGAC Chile investigators examined the aircraft and the airfield to determine the cause of the mechanical failure. Inspections of the aircraft's maintenance logs revealed that all mandatory maintenance requirements were being met by an authorized maintenance center, with no prior discrepancies noted regarding the landing gear system. The aircraft's last major inspection had been completed in November 2021.
During technical testing conducted while the aircraft was on jacks, investigators activated the landing gear cycle. While the main landing gear extended and locked correctly, the nose gear failed to extend. Upon physical inspection of the nose gear assembly, it was discovered that the aircraft battery had shifted from its housing, and its edge was physically obstructing the movement of the nose gear leg.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the displacement of the aircraft battery within its compartment.
- The battery was secured by a Velcro-type strap, which failed to prevent the battery from moving.
- The shifted battery physically blocked the extension path of the nose gear leg.
- The impact with the runway caused structural damage to the landing gear bay doors and the battery support structure.