Accident Details
On September 18, 2016, at about 1500 Pacific daylight time, a Jurcan Seawind 3000, registration N57TJ, collided with a runway sign following a landing with a landing gear malfunction at Renton Municipal Airport (RNT), Renton, Washington. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot for personal purposes under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions were present, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed from Lampson Field Airport (1O2) in Lakeport, California at 1040, initially destined for Lake Sammamish in Issaquah, Washington.
Sequence of Events
After arriving at Lake Sammamish, the pilot noted that the right main landing gear indicator light was off and the hydraulic pressure read zero. Several attempts to retract the right landing gear were unsuccessful. The pilot then flew to a nearby airport, where the control tower confirmed that the right main landing gear was extended, while the left main and nose landing gears remained retracted. Attempts to deploy the remaining gears using the backup manual hydraulic pump and abrupt maneuvers also failed. The pilot decided to land with the abnormal gear configuration.
Landing and Aftermath
The airplane touched down on the runway with the right landing gear first. The pilot kept the left wing elevated as long as possible, but upon contact with the runway, the airplane veered off the paved surface. It slid across grass, struck an airport sign and light, spun 180 degrees, and stopped. The pilot and one passenger were not injured. Substantial damage occurred to the left wing.
Postaccident Examination
A postaccident inspection of the airplane identified a hydraulic leak originating from a cracked flare in a hydraulic line fitting. This fitting was located on the bulkhead separating the cabin and nose compartment, leading directly into the nose gear actuator.