Fuselage - Aerodynamic Fairings - Interference with Nose Landing Gear Doors

1 FAA Aviation Safety SPECIAL AIRWORTHINESS INFORMATION BULLETIN SUBJ: Fuselage - Aerodynamic Fairings - Interference with Nose Landing Gear Doors SAIB: NM-15-23 Date: September 17, 2015 This is information only. Recommendations aren’t mandatory.

Introduction

This Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin is to alert owners, operators, and maintenance technicians of the potential for the radome to interfere with the nose landing gear doors, preventing the nose landing gear from extending on certain Beechcraft Corporation Model 4000 airplanes.

At this time, the airworthiness concern is not an unsafe condition that would warrant airworthiness directive (AD) action under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 39.

Background

An emergency landing incident on a Model 4000 airplane required the flightcrew to land the airplane with the nose landing gear retracted. There were no reported injuries, but the airplane sustained damage. Investigation revealed that the radome stop bolt was not rigged within the allowable tolerance as required by the Model 4000 Maintenance Manual. A properly rigged radome stop bolt will prevent the radome from moving aft during flight due to air loads, preventing interference with the nose landing gear doors.

Beechcraft Corporation issued Model Communique # HK-4000-19, dated July 2015, and revised the Model 4000 Maintenance Manual, Chapter 53-10-01, Revision A16, dated April 2014, to provide operators with procedures to inspect for proper rigging of the radome stop bolt at repetitive intervals.

Recommendations

The FAA recommends that owners, operators, and maintenance personnel of the affected airplanes follow the procedures outlined in Beechcraft Corporation Model Communique # HK-4000-19, dated July 2015, and in paragraph 3.B. of the Model 4000 Maintenance Manual, Chapter 53-10-01, Revision A16, dated April 2014.

For Further Information Contact

Paul DeVore, Senior Aerospace Engineer, Mechanical Systems and Propulsion Branch, ACE-116W, Wichita Aircraft Certification Office, 1801 Airport Road, Wichita, Kansas 67209; telephone: 316-946-4142; fax: 316-946-4107; email: [email protected].

For Related Service Information Contact

Beechcraft Corporation, TMDC, P.O. Box 85, Wichita, KS 67201-0085; telephone 316-676-8238; fax 316-671-2540; email [email protected]; Internet http://pubs.beechcraft.com.