Narrative:

On jan/sat/96 I was acting as PIC on a part 91 repositioning flight from apa to fxe. We had departed apa at XA00Z with the hopes of making it nonstop to fxe (tailwind was very strong and direct routing was expected at that time of morning). Upon departure from apa, the nose gear doors failed to close tight enough to extinguish the red unsafe light. We recycled the gear a few times but the problem remained. We decided this was not an emergency, kept the airspeed below 200 KIAS and planned a stop in ict, ks, for maintenance help. The WX in ict was cold and snowing but runway conditions were good and winds were not excessive. Before landing the gear came down and gear doors closed normally. The sic was the PF and made a normal approach and landing. The aircraft touched down in the touchdown zone and upon lowering the nosewheel, the aircraft pulled sharply to the left. I assisted the PF by applying full right rudder, brakes, and reverse thrust on the right engine. I also stowed the reverser on the left engine and engaged the electric steering but the aircraft still drifted left and knocked down a runway edge light before stopping approximately 5-10 ft off the left side of the runway. I was able to apply power and taxi back onto the runway without incident (the ground was frozen and as hard as concrete). After taxiing to the FBO, I exited the aircraft to find the nose strut was completely flat (a problem we had had earlier in the trip but thought we had corrected in houston). I believe the reason for the aircraft pulling to the left was the strut was fully compressed, metal to metal and with the extreme pressure on the nosewheel under braking even the steering could not pull it from its off-center position. I found out from maintenance that this was also the reason the gear doors would not close, the strut was not extending the latch attached to the nose gear far enough to catch the uplock. I had checked the strut extension in denver before departure and found it to be within the normal extension but it apparently was not enough. The problem of the escaping strut pressure was found to be a bad o-ring on the schrader valve (something maintenance in houston did not check). I would have thought that if the strut was low on air and the aircraft lifted off the ground, the wheel would free fall to the extended position, but evidently a vacuum in the strut does not allow it to drop freely. Very minimal damage was done to the aircraft by the runway light (mostly cosmetic) and we reported the downed light to the tower supervisor.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC COULD NOT GET NOSE GEAR UP AND LOCKED INDICATION. FLC RECYCLED THE NOSE GEAR WITHOUT SUCCESS. FLC LANDED AT ARPT WHERE MAINT WAS AVAILABLE BUT WAS UNABLE TO KEEP THE AIRPLANE ON THE RWY. THE NOSE GEAR STRUT WAS FLAT AND PREVENTED THE NOSE GEAR FROM FULLY RETRACTING, WHICH KEPT THE NOSE GEAR DOOR FROM CLOSING. THE FLAT STRUT ALSO PREVENTED THE NOSEWHEEL STEERING FROM FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. ON THE LNDG ROLL THE FLC COULD NOT KEEP THE ACFT ON THE RWY AND HIT RWY EDGE LIGHT.

Narrative: ON JAN/SAT/96 I WAS ACTING AS PIC ON A PART 91 REPOSITIONING FLT FROM APA TO FXE. WE HAD DEPARTED APA AT XA00Z WITH THE HOPES OF MAKING IT NONSTOP TO FXE (TAILWIND WAS VERY STRONG AND DIRECT ROUTING WAS EXPECTED AT THAT TIME OF MORNING). UPON DEP FROM APA, THE NOSE GEAR DOORS FAILED TO CLOSE TIGHT ENOUGH TO EXTINGUISH THE RED UNSAFE LIGHT. WE RECYCLED THE GEAR A FEW TIMES BUT THE PROB REMAINED. WE DECIDED THIS WAS NOT AN EMER, KEPT THE AIRSPD BELOW 200 KIAS AND PLANNED A STOP IN ICT, KS, FOR MAINT HELP. THE WX IN ICT WAS COLD AND SNOWING BUT RWY CONDITIONS WERE GOOD AND WINDS WERE NOT EXCESSIVE. BEFORE LNDG THE GEAR CAME DOWN AND GEAR DOORS CLOSED NORMALLY. THE SIC WAS THE PF AND MADE A NORMAL APCH AND LNDG. THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN IN THE TOUCHDOWN ZONE AND UPON LOWERING THE NOSEWHEEL, THE ACFT PULLED SHARPLY TO THE L. I ASSISTED THE PF BY APPLYING FULL R RUDDER, BRAKES, AND REVERSE THRUST ON THE R ENG. I ALSO STOWED THE REVERSER ON THE L ENG AND ENGAGED THE ELECTRIC STEERING BUT THE ACFT STILL DRIFTED L AND KNOCKED DOWN A RWY EDGE LIGHT BEFORE STOPPING APPROX 5-10 FT OFF THE L SIDE OF THE RWY. I WAS ABLE TO APPLY PWR AND TAXI BACK ONTO THE RWY WITHOUT INCIDENT (THE GND WAS FROZEN AND AS HARD AS CONCRETE). AFTER TAXIING TO THE FBO, I EXITED THE ACFT TO FIND THE NOSE STRUT WAS COMPLETELY FLAT (A PROB WE HAD HAD EARLIER IN THE TRIP BUT THOUGHT WE HAD CORRECTED IN HOUSTON). I BELIEVE THE REASON FOR THE ACFT PULLING TO THE L WAS THE STRUT WAS FULLY COMPRESSED, METAL TO METAL AND WITH THE EXTREME PRESSURE ON THE NOSEWHEEL UNDER BRAKING EVEN THE STEERING COULD NOT PULL IT FROM ITS OFF-CTR POS. I FOUND OUT FROM MAINT THAT THIS WAS ALSO THE REASON THE GEAR DOORS WOULD NOT CLOSE, THE STRUT WAS NOT EXTENDING THE LATCH ATTACHED TO THE NOSE GEAR FAR ENOUGH TO CATCH THE UPLOCK. I HAD CHKED THE STRUT EXTENSION IN DENVER BEFORE DEP AND FOUND IT TO BE WITHIN THE NORMAL EXTENSION BUT IT APPARENTLY WAS NOT ENOUGH. THE PROB OF THE ESCAPING STRUT PRESSURE WAS FOUND TO BE A BAD O-RING ON THE SCHRADER VALVE (SOMETHING MAINT IN HOUSTON DID NOT CHK). I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT IF THE STRUT WAS LOW ON AIR AND THE ACFT LIFTED OFF THE GND, THE WHEEL WOULD FREE FALL TO THE EXTENDED POS, BUT EVIDENTLY A VACUUM IN THE STRUT DOES NOT ALLOW IT TO DROP FREELY. VERY MINIMAL DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE ACFT BY THE RWY LIGHT (MOSTLY COSMETIC) AND WE RPTED THE DOWNED LIGHT TO THE TWR SUPVR.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.