Accident Details
On September 26, 2022, about 0900 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 414 airplane, N745EP, was substantially damaged during a landing accident at Augusta Regional Airport at Bush Field (AGS), Augusta, Georgia. The private pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated by the pilot as a personal flight under 14 CFR Part 91.
Landing Gear Issue
During a visual approach to runway 35, while crossing over the runway numbers, the pilot heard a landing gear unsafe warning horn alert and observed a flickering nose landing gear (NLG) down light indication. He executed a go-around and, in the traffic pattern, cycled the landing gear up and down using the landing gear switch. The NLG light continued to flicker, while the main landing gear lights were steady green, indicating they were down and locked. The tower controller advised that the landing gear appeared to be down, so the pilot continued for landing. Upon touchdown, the NLG collapsed, and the airplane skidded to a stop on runway 35. The forward fuselage area sustained substantial damage.
Examination Findings
An examination of the landing gear system found that the NLG adjusting bell crank and actuator rod were connected. The NLG actuator rod had been disconnected from the adjusting bell crank to facilitate recovery. The NLG locked into place when moved by hand, and three green cockpit lights were observed. No anomalies were found with linkages, bell cranks, or actuator arms that would have caused partial extension of the NLG. Functional testing of the landing gear system was not possible due to airframe damage preventing normal movement.
Emergency Extension Crank
The manual landing gear extension crank in the cockpit was found in an intermediate position, neither fully stowed nor extended. The crank caught on the pilot seat when attempted to be stowed, but could be stowed when rotated approximately 1/4 turn. According to the Airplane Flight Manual, the landing gear emergency extension procedure required pushing a button and stowing the hand crank. The Cessna 414 service manual listed possible landing gear issues, with the first item being "manual extension crank improperly stowed" and corrective action "stow crank properly."