Hmmm, SkyBahamas Saab 340 gear collapse at gate . . .

Aviation Aviation News
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Hmmm, better be from a hydraulic leak!!,


NASSAU, Bahamas – On Thursday, January 7 2010, at approximately 11:45am, a Saab 340 aircarft, registration C6-SBE, being owned by SkyBahamas Airline had its landing gear collapse while the aircarft was parked on the gate at Apron 5 at Lynden Pindling International Airport.

Only the Captain and a Flight Attendant were onboard the aircraft at the time. No one was injured during the occurence, however the aircraft was damaged.

In keeping with the requirements of the Bahamas Aviation Safety Regulations, the Civil Aviation Department has begun an investigation.

thenassauguardian.net/nation … 551449.php

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On my first Saudi tour back in the 70’s I was doing touch and go’s in a new Cessna 185. Between excursions between both edges of the runway I noticed a Hughes Air West/Saudia F-27 being towed from the hanger to the apron.

That checkout was like my golf game, I believe in using the whole course.

A couple more times around the pattern I looked down, the gear had collapsed, the F27 not the 185, the force broke both wings and the back of the fuselage. Turned out they had fueled it and were loading passengers when she let go. I found out later there was some sort of hydraulic valve that the mechanics had not reset after towing the airplane. The valve was not in the cockpit, but the crew didn’t check it on their preflight. Late I guess, for sure in a hurry. When they were doing the cockpit pre start checks the electric pump was used and up came the gear. I don’t know anything about the F27 hydraulics but that is what I remember.

John in Saudi

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airliners.net photo
This is the actual aircraft N747L that was in service with Saudi Arabian Airlines when it had it’s gear collapse and was declared a write off on March 3rd, 1978.


f27 association photo
Saudi Arabian F-27 N746L sistership to N747L closest photo I could find.

Just realized there is a VFW-614 tail in the photo, actually saw this aircraft at YYZ years ago on a world wide sales tour OY-TOR.

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In Toronto, we had the Toronto Dominion Bank’s Hawker - with CEO on board, fire up the engines, the gear was in the ‘Up’ position, and the nose gear immediately collapsed as the engine spooled up.

We also had a Merlin, with mechanics working on the hydraulics - when they noticed the gear slowly retracting, they put a jack under the left wing, the nose, one mechanic had his head inside the nose gear space - while attempting to push the nose wheels with his foot???, suddenly the hydraulic line failed, and the right gear collapsed.

I was walking right past the aircraft as this happened, in the Skycharter hanger at YYZ, I heard a blood curdling scream and realized there was a person crushed between the engine and the wing.

As the Merlin collapsed - the wing knocked the wing tip off of a Cessna 310 - a mechanic put a 2 ton car jack under the wing, first puncturing a hole in the wing, and a second attempt it lifted a 13 tonne aircraft.

I ran so fast to call 911, I ran into the nose of one of our Lear’s, cutting my hand on the pitot tube!!! I’ve since learned not to panic!!!

The ramp worker, had one leg crushed but recovered from the accident.
He was actually a retired golf pro, working on the ramp because he enjoyed aircraft, and was polishing the wing.

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I knew golf and flying didn’t mix! That could have been real tragic.
Good photo’s, lots of distant memories. 1978, hmmm. that’s a year later than I thought it was. No comment’s from the gallerie de peanut.

John in Saudi

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N747L Saudi Arabian Airlines F-27

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Sometimes the ground comes up to meet you rather than the gear collapsing!

Here’s a pic J took of a Cheyenne that was towed across a drain that couldn’t support the aircraft’s weight!

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Get the jack…

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I remember clearly a section from the Comanche POA that states “The landing gear contains a switch that prevents the gear from being retracted while on the ground. NOTE: This feature should not be tested!”

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That’s embarrassing!! Reminds me of the movie 1942 with John Belushi and the ‘girl’ in the cockpit!!!

News reports were a male pilot and a female flight attendant were the only two on board when the gear retracted because . . . ???

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That explains it all right there. Que the cheesie 70’s muzak.

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Maybe she got her stiletto heel jammed in the gear handle.

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Tell the pilots to lose weight, then their gear won’t be collapsing on them all the time… :laughing:… :unamused: (Lame)

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I’m reminded of and old joke, something about spanish fly and the gear shifter knob, but that was a car.

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why can’t you track any skybahamas flights on here?

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I’m a little late to the party on this , I just saw the thread. We had an FH227 at SPI gear collapse as it was sitting on the ramp. Britt Airways, I was a kid at the time, and later I had fellow employees tell me the what (not the how). They had tarps over the top so that the Britt name wouldn’t make it on to TV screens and newspapers etc.

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Oh, good ol’ Britt. That takes me back. One of the many airlines I used to see as a kid flying from ORD to Muskegon, MI to go to a family summer property in W Michigan.

Air Wisconsin never made me suffer a gear collapse. That’s all I remember. :stuck_out_tongue:

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For sure, we had the FH227’s, Metros, and Beech 99s in here. I lived about a mile final on 31 at SPI, and those guys along with Allegheny Commuter BE99s, Resort Air(TWE) Metros, MVA Shorts’, Air Willy was here for a short time (but ended up working for them for a while here later when they came back), ahh, the good old days for sure. Now we’ve got 8 RJ flights a day. Back then we were pushing 50 with flights to ORD, STL BNA, IND, and the smaller MVN, MDH, UIN,BRL, DEC,CMI etc, and probably the coolest of all MEIGS!!! Watching all that mid 80’s turboprop action is probably what fueled my interest in flying, gave me a low paying airline job, and drained my wallet to obtain my certificate. Well worth it!

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Thats pretty funny. But, the truth of the matter is that if they were in fact onboard without passengers they may have been performing checks, necessary procedures done before flight. Which is good for this airline that no passengers were on board as yet.

*And for the record Flight attendants are posted in the cabin… not flight deck. That is definitely the pilots command station.