Things that go bump in the plane
(original letter to A.F.)
We found what happened.
The evidence is that something transcending mere luck was responsible for pushing that nosegear down for us.
The shuddering bang that we felt was the sound of the turnbuckle between the landing gear motor and the nosegear push-pull rod snapping apart. The very rod that pushes on the turnbuckle-which works like a seesaw to transfer force from one rod to another - actually became dramatically disconnected from the turnbuckle as we tried to bring the gear up. The cause was down at the landing gear shock absorber. As we climbed out from Morris that fateful hour, the shock absorber failed to extend as it usually does, so as it the nosegear swung into its little compartment, the tire was asked to fit in a space it was not designed to go. Consequently, the motor attempted to keep pulling on a component that wasn't going to reach the end of its travel. The pressure kept building. And building. And Building! The weakest link was that turnbuckle, and it broke at the attachment of the rod coming from the motor. The rod was thence dislocated from the turnbuckle, and the weight of the gear pulled the turnbuckle away from the pushrod.
As Tim lowered the gear next, and as I prayed that the gear would come down, the pushrod happened to find its way back into the turnbuckle and pushed it in such a way that it actuated the rod connected to the gear. To illustrate, imagine, if you will, poking a pencil blindfolded into a pencil sharpener.
We were very, very fortunate that the nosewheel came down and locked. I praise God for His mercies!
To start off my day, I flew the Navajo of Peru to to Freeport, Illinois, where I made a very nice landing. We picked up an architect, a builder and a guy my age and flew them to Gary, Indiana. We enjoyed a nice brunch at Cracker Barrel, then i spent the rest of the morning napping and reading on a most luxurious leather chair. By noon the passengers returned, and the rest of our flight time was uneventful. In fact, it was beautiful. The sky was clear, the air was silky smooth, and I best of all, i was flying.
Two hours of pipeline patrol followed, and finally by 5 i got to come home.
We found what happened.
The evidence is that something transcending mere luck was responsible for pushing that nosegear down for us.
The shuddering bang that we felt was the sound of the turnbuckle between the landing gear motor and the nosegear push-pull rod snapping apart. The very rod that pushes on the turnbuckle-which works like a seesaw to transfer force from one rod to another - actually became dramatically disconnected from the turnbuckle as we tried to bring the gear up. The cause was down at the landing gear shock absorber. As we climbed out from Morris that fateful hour, the shock absorber failed to extend as it usually does, so as it the nosegear swung into its little compartment, the tire was asked to fit in a space it was not designed to go. Consequently, the motor attempted to keep pulling on a component that wasn't going to reach the end of its travel. The pressure kept building. And building. And Building! The weakest link was that turnbuckle, and it broke at the attachment of the rod coming from the motor. The rod was thence dislocated from the turnbuckle, and the weight of the gear pulled the turnbuckle away from the pushrod.
As Tim lowered the gear next, and as I prayed that the gear would come down, the pushrod happened to find its way back into the turnbuckle and pushed it in such a way that it actuated the rod connected to the gear. To illustrate, imagine, if you will, poking a pencil blindfolded into a pencil sharpener.
We were very, very fortunate that the nosewheel came down and locked. I praise God for His mercies!
To start off my day, I flew the Navajo of Peru to to Freeport, Illinois, where I made a very nice landing. We picked up an architect, a builder and a guy my age and flew them to Gary, Indiana. We enjoyed a nice brunch at Cracker Barrel, then i spent the rest of the morning napping and reading on a most luxurious leather chair. By noon the passengers returned, and the rest of our flight time was uneventful. In fact, it was beautiful. The sky was clear, the air was silky smooth, and I best of all, i was flying.
Two hours of pipeline patrol followed, and finally by 5 i got to come home.
posted by Radar | 9:14 PM
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