What happened
On 30 April 2012, a Cessna 550 Citation Bravo, registration G-CGEI, was conducting a private flight from Biggin Hill to Gloucester. The aircraft had recently undergone an interior refurbishment and a new paint application at Biggin Hill. During the approach to Runway 08 at Bournemouth Airport, the nose landing gear failed to deploy, despite the crew attempting to use both the normal and emergency extension systems.
As a result of the gear remaining retracted, the aircraft landed with the nose gear in the up position. This caused significant damage to the nose landing gear doors and the lower forward section of the fuselage. All 3 crew members were uninjured and were able to exit the aircraft via the main cabin door.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft and the maintenance history following the incident. A review of the work performed at Biggin Hill established that while the aircraft had been repainted, no maintenance had been specifically performed on the nose landing gear doors, which had been painted while in the closed position.
Following the recovery of the aircraft, investigators found hydraulic fluid on the lower rear fuselage and the underside of the right wing. This leak was traced to the right main landing gear uplock union. To inspect the nose gear, the aircraft was jacked and the emergency extension system was depressurised, allowing the doors to be opened manually. This process required significant force due to the structural damage sustained during the landing. Once opened, the nose landing gear was able to extend freely under gravity.
Findings
- The nose landing gear failed to extend via the normal or emergency systems.
- The cause of the nose landing gear extension failure could not be identified due to the inability to perform rigging checks on the damaged doors and the lack of evidence following functional tests.
- The aircraft's caster angle was measured at 4° 30', which was within the maintenance manual limit of 4° +/- 15°.
- A hydraulic leak was present in the right main landing gear uplock union, though this did not affect the functionality of the landing gear during subsequent testing.