Beech 18 [C-45H] incident near Orlando, Florida, October 9, 1997
On October 9, 1997 at about 1:32 am local time, a Beech 18 [C-45H], registered N486JB, suffered minor damage in an incident near Orlando, Florida (Orlando International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the landing gear chain from the main landing gear torque shaft to the nose gear box coming off the sprocket, causing the landing gear to be out of sequence between the main gear and the nose gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 1997 · about 1:32 am local time
- Place
- Orlando, Florida · Orlando International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 18 [C-45H]
- Registration
- N486JB · no longer on the register · serial AF-858
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that when he lowered the landing gear he noticed that the right main gear was not down and locked. He advised ATC of the situation and was given vectors to the west of the airport to investigate the problem. He made several attempts to correct the problem by recycling the gear handle. He then attempted gear emergency extension procedures, and observed that the gear was still indicating an intermediate position. He again advised ATC, and made a low pass by the control tower. Due to the darkness the tower could not confirm whether the gear was down or not. After several additional attempts to determine the problem without successes, he elected to make a gear up landing on the runway. Examination of the landing gear revealed that the chain from the main landing gear torque shaft to the nose gear box, had come of the sprocket at the nose gear box exposing several teeth. This caused the landing gear to be out of sequence between the main gear and the nose gear. This resulted in the nose gear retract nut bottoming out against the nose gear box, making it impossible to extend the landing gear fully, either by normal or emergency extension methods.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,700 hours in all; 160 in this make and model; 4,300 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,517 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 8, 1997; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R985-14B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Carib-Air Cargo INC
The flight
- Departed from: MLB Melbourne FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18R, 12,004 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 050° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:46 pm from MCO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.