Narrative:
A Dassault Falcon 900, N327K, operated by the Ford Motor Company, sustained substantial damage when the pilot made an intentional landing at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport with the nose landing gear in the UP position. The three crewmembers and six passengers aboard the airplane were not injured. The corporate flight originated at Washington National Airport.
The flight crew reported there was a loud air noise coming from the nose gear area upon gear retraction when they departed Washington National. The gear indicated UP. The crew elected to continue to their destination, Detroit Metro.
The examination of the nose gear revealed that the nose gear door hooks had missed the rollers on the lower portion of the nose gear when the gear was retracted. After retraction the nose gear rollers were above the nose gear door hooks. The gear can not extend with the rollers above the door hooks.
The strut pressure in the nose gear was found to be below minimum required pressure. The daily inspection criteria for acceptable strut pressure was a dimensional check. It was found that the proper dimension could be obtained without minimum pressure in the strut.
The nose landing gear jammed in the UP position due to low pressure in the nose gear strut. A factor associated with the accident is the manufacturer's insufficient standards/requirements for determining the amount of nose strut inflation.
| Status: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
| Date: | Thursday 17 March 1994 |
| Time: | 01:39 |
| Type: |  Dassault Falcon 900 |
| Operator: | Ford Motor Co. |
| Registration: | N327K |
| MSN: | 003 |
| First flight: | |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3397 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 6 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 9 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Aircraft fate: | Repaired |
| Location: | Detroit-Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, MI (DTW) ( United States of America)
|
| Phase: | Landing (LDG) |
| Nature: | Executive |
| Departure airport: | Washington-Ronald Reagan National Airport, DC (DCA/KDCA), United States of America |
| Detroit-Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, MI (DTW/KDTW), United States of America |
A Dassault Falcon 900, N327K, operated by the Ford Motor Company, sustained substantial damage when the pilot made an intentional landing at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport with the nose landing gear in the UP position. The three crewmembers and six passengers aboard the airplane were not injured. The corporate flight originated at Washington National Airport.
The flight crew reported there was a loud air noise coming from the nose gear area upon gear retraction when they departed Washington National. The gear indicated UP. The crew elected to continue to their destination, Detroit Metro.
The examination of the nose gear revealed that the nose gear door hooks had missed the rollers on the lower portion of the nose gear when the gear was retracted. After retraction the nose gear rollers were above the nose gear door hooks. The gear can not extend with the rollers above the door hooks.
The strut pressure in the nose gear was found to be below minimum required pressure. The daily inspection criteria for acceptable strut pressure was a dimensional check. It was found that the proper dimension could be obtained without minimum pressure in the strut.
Probable Cause:
The nose landing gear jammed in the UP position due to low pressure in the nose gear strut. A factor associated with the accident is the manufacturer's insufficient standards/requirements for determining the amount of nose strut inflation.
Accident investigation:
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Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Washington-Ronald Reagan National Airport, DC to Detroit-Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, MI as the crow flies is 647 km (404 miles).
Distance from Washington-Ronald Reagan National Airport, DC to Detroit-Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, MI as the crow flies is 647 km (404 miles).
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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