Beech 58 N391MC incident near Lexington, Kentucky

Probable cause

The overstress failure of the nose landing gear aft drag brace.

NTSB analysis

The pilots were practicing instrument approaches and performed a missed approach. At that time, the landing gear was retracted and the corresponding gear retracted cockpit indication was noted; however, the approach controller advised the pilots that the nose landing gear appeared to remain in the extended position. The pilots then selected the nose landing gear to the extended position and noted the corresponding gear extended cockpit indication. During a subsequent landing, the nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane slid to a stop on the runway. Examination of the airplane revealed that the right side of the nose landing gear aft drag brace had separated. Metallurgical examination revealed that the origin point of the fracture was consistent with overstress, and the fracture extended from the origin point over a significant period of time. The airplane had accumulated over 10,000 hours of flight time, and the initiation of the overstress event was most likely the result of a previous hard landing or landings. Review of the maintenance manual for the make and model airplane revealed that the nose gear was an "on condition" inspection item; however, the fracture was in an area that would not be easily visible or detected by a mechanic during an inspection.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA10IA095 for the full record.