What happened
On 18 August 1998, a Beech 76, registration G-BNYO, was conducting a private flight when the pilot identified a landing gear malfunction during the downwind leg at Bodmin airport. Upon selecting the gear down, only the two main green lights illuminated, indicating the nosewheel had failed to lock. The pilot attempted to rectify the issue by cycling the gear and performing bulb checks, but the problem persisted.
Despite executing the emergency extension procedures several times, the nosewheel remained retracted. The pilot requested a fly-by at RAF St Mawgan to allow air traffic control to visually inspect the aircraft; the tower confirmed the nosewheel was not down and noted the nose doors appeared closed. As daylight faded and passenger stress increased, the pilot decided to perform a gear-up landing. To avoid runway lights, the pilot targeted a landing point well beyond the threshold of Runway 31.
During the approach, air traffic control observed that the nose doors appeared jammed and slightly open. The pilot executed the landing on the two main wheels, maintaining a nose-high attitude for as long as possible. Once the aircraft settled onto its nose, the pilot unlatched the doors and used the brakes to maintain directional control. The impact resulted in damage to the propeller, nose, and nosewheel doors, but there were no injuries to the crew or the two passengers.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanical operation of the nose landing gear. The Beech 76 nose gear utilizes a pin that, during retraction, engages a fork to activate the door mechanism. Investigators found that if this pin fails to engage the fork correctly and instead contacts the outside face of the fork, the door mechanism can overtravel and the link assembly can go "overcentre." In this state, the nosewheel cannot drive the door mechanism to open, and the nosewheel becomes pressed against the inside of the doors.
While the investigation confirmed that previous maintenance bulletins (SI No 1209 and SB No 2310) regarding hinge pins, bushings, and lubrication had been complied with, the mechanism remains sensitive to rigging and maintenance. Although the door hinges were found to be stiff, they had been distorted by the impact of the landing.