Don't be a Gear Collapse (LGRM*) Statistic!

This Rod End (and several others) is all that is between you and the above kind of event!

The rod end pictured above is the factory installed, 4,000hrs TT HML-6 Heim unit from the back end of the nose gear rod at the gearbox on my B55. It looks perfectly OK doesn't it? But hey, who knows what the metal fatigue cycling has done over 43 years. This CSOB does not want to find out!

Don't wait to have a Rod End failure to learn that the insurance companies have been totaling older Beechcraft that have suffered a landing gear rod end failure or gear up landing.

Avoid this pain, change your rod ends!

The above video looks to me to be possibly a Colemill Foxstar Baron with the nice winglets. Unfortunately, it's possible that this plane's rod ends (in particular the nose rod ends) were left in there too long, notice the floppy nose wheel on landing rollout.

Here is a Travel Air with a gear issue executing a gear partially extended landing:

Many gear collapses are a result of rod end failure (unfortunately, some are the result of confused pilots grabbing the gear handle instead of the flap handle DUH! Fuhgeddabout touching anything until you're clear of the active AND STOPPED.

Right behind your engine, the landing gear is the next system, where a failure will cause major damage to your plane and/or potential injury to you and/or your passengers.

The rod end pictured above is the factory installed, 4,000hrs TT HML-6 Heim unit from the back end of the nose gear rod at the gearbox on my B55. It looks OK doesn't it? But hey, who knows what the metal fatigue cycling has done over 43 years. This CSOB does not want to find out!

Here's a brand new Heim HMX5FG rod end:

It has been reported that the HMX5FG has been superseded by ADNE5-323 for the two front rod ends and the aft rod end is ADNEL6-317.

True CSOBs hate to have expensive things break or fail.

So spend a little dough to avoid a potentially giant headache and the loss of your plane. Visit your mechanic and have your rod ends changed at (pick a number you like: 2,000hrs TIS, 3,000hrs TIS, 4,000hrs TIS).

Click HERE to see what happens to a 7,000 TT Rod End and see how the tensioning spring is nearly "Stacked"! This owner was incredibly lucky in that when the middle nose gear rod end broke the nose gear came down but had ZERO downlock tension.

Here is a quote from A-33 Bonanza owner of the above failed rod end, Stan "The Man" says:

While you are changing the rod ends get yourself the tensioning springs as well! There is one on the nose gear rod (pictured above) P/N 35-825188 and one on each main gear push-pull tube that are P/N 45-815091 for the B55.

RAPID has these springs and new tensioning washers. My main gear springs were P/N 45-815091 and the washers are P/N 100951S063XP. Check YOUR parts catalog to be sure you order the proper P/N for your model and serial number!

Here's a Beech Lister's method for compressing the nose gear spring:

Other methods include a vice to squeeze the ends and careful removal of the shear pin. Be sure to lube the shaft liberally with CorrosionX or ACF50 or some such lube before reassembly.

Another suggested method from Bo owner Bill:

Bill also reports that Arrell Aircraft sells a cleaned up re-tempered spring for less than half the Beech Factory price. So if that spring price bugs you give Arrell a call at the info on this PAGE.

ALSO: Don't forget to put new nut and bolt hardware into your landing gear. For example part # 48 (Beechcraft P/N available only from RAPID or Arrell Aircraft) in the below parts catalog extract. Your parts catalog will list all the AN or MS hardware for each rod end connection.

A great CSOB hardware source is Haire Aviation. See my page on Haire Aviation HERE . Just call them up and give them your list.

Here are the two versions of Nose Gear Arms that are used at the landing gear transmission to actuate the nose gear. Note the top "beefy" one is used on Barons and possibly later model Bonanzas.

Picture Courtesy of Kevin O.

While you are in the Main Landing Gear area spiffing everything up like new, check out the main landing gear sleeves info HERE to put the finishing touches on your rod end and landing gear refurbishment.

Also, the nose gear retract rod boot cover is PN: 35-825076-13 @ $47.74 on 02/02/2009. A bit steep IMHO for a little fabric cover that fits over this area:

Here is another JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME save by Paul S. on his N35 Bonanza. The below pic is of the shear pin in the nose gear rod assembly (see pic above) of his N35. Just goes to show you that it's a good idea to disassemble and look at these components that have been in service for so many years:

Paul being the avid Beech Lister that he is, has been listening to all the posts on the Beech List about high time landing gear parts and in his annual on his 5,000 hr TT airframe got his rod end project going with his IA. The picture above is of the pin that maintains the two pieces of nose gear pushrod together against the tension of the spring. This would be a really good time to inspect the braze and inner rod section.

Per Paul, in the down position this pin floats in the slot of rod #50 in the below picture and your spring (part #51 in the below diagram) provides the downlock tension pressure. In the up position, this pin takes the brunt of your UPLOCK TENSION. It would stand to reason that is this pin is mangled (or worst case, shears, then the uplock tension adjustment was probably massive), just a hypothesis mind you.

Here is what this problem might look like:

The latest info from Beechcraft parts guru Kevin O. is that this shear pin used to be Beech PN: 45-824014 BUT it's no longer available. Kevin reports later model parts books call out  AN394-25 or a MS20392-2C25, available at Aircraft Spruce for about $0.30. Kevin suggests changing this pin about every 1,000 hours and lube and inspect the inner shaft.

On early model Bonanzas rod #50 had a short nose, so when your pin sheared, you had a very bad day. Beech engineering got wise to this flaw and made later model Bonanza/Baron shafts longer, so when the pin sheared, your nose gear stayed down AND the shafts stayed together, so on your recycle of the gear you were down and locked again.

Great save by Paul in finding his nearly sheared pin!

The pin is #52 in the below Diagram:

Here is another near miss catch by Beech Lister Jim H. on his 1955 F-35 Bonanza. During the process of changing out his nose gear rod ends, he found the gear door actuator pin almost severed in half!

Here is Jim's pic of the before and after a welding repair. Jim reports 5,400TT hrs on his Bonanza. A near miss of his nose gear door actuation averted!

Nice save Jim!

This is the slotted tab that the pin goes into to actuate the nose gear doors.

OK, so you need to see more "shock & awe" pics of what's lurking in that airframe-saving system we call the landing gear before you make the commitment to check yours out?

Well here you go, courtesy of BeechTalker Ron H. His BeechTalk thread is HERE. His synapses and pics of his nose gear retract rod shaft are below:

In taking the recommendations of the ABS and others about replacing the nose gear rod-end bearings, I took these to heart and did mine during the annual inspection on my bird which is just wrapping up. All of the nose gear rod-end bearings, bushings, and hardware have now been replaced.

We found an anomaly in the rod assembly, fwd nose gear retract link as shown in the attached pictures. What caused it, I have no idea, but can only surmise that the previous owner who was learning to fly in the plane must have had a nose wheel first hard landing. Again, I just don't know, and can only speculate as to what might have caused the sleeve to split like this.

I also found one rod-end bearing that had a crack across the crown, and down one side towards the bolt hole. I know that it would have eventually failed, but when is the question.

Thanks to the ABS and the others preaching on the need to replace the rod-end bearings, I found these two potential failure points before they did fail and result in unpleasant results to our pride and joy as well as ourselves and/or potentially others.
 

Here is what the damaged retract rod shaft looks like with the spring on it. This is a good example of why these things should be completely disassembled, inspected, lubed and put back together if all is well:

Note the damaged portion of the shaft that is barely visible through the spring!

Paul S. adds the following comment: the inner shaft (forward section) extends far enough down the tube so that if the pin shears, the nose wheel will hang in the wind, but the rods will still interface enough to extend gear properly. This was changed with s/n D-4547.

Great CSOB save Ron!

This is the nose gear door rod and actuator cam/pickup fork. That flat end on the left side of the cam must be firmly planted on the "L" shaped piece that is on the left side (of this picture view, right side of the aircraft fuselage) of the inner wall when the gear is down and locked. If your gear door rods are ever removed it is easy to reassemble them to the gear doors in such a way that the cam/pickup fork is slightly turned counter clockwise and the flat part of the cam will not be flush with the "L" piece on the wall of the well. You will then have nose gear doors that do not close properly. Don't ask me how I know!

Per Kevin: "The first picture shows owner produced new cross shaft for my deb--also the end plugs and new gussets--also pictured is a factory made pin that attaches to the lift legs.

Kevin O.

The second picture shows difference in gussets---the original is made out of aluminum--the steel shaft rotates on it and it gets play--screws up the rigging on the gear doors and the cowl flaps---the one I made has a bronze bushing installed---it has over twice the surface area for the shaft to ride on---we had to make the plug that goes in the end of the cross shaft (only found on debs without cowl flaps and barons) 1/8 " longer to give room for the added thickness of the bushing.

THIS is the way the factory should have made them !"

The above picture is courtesy of Beech Lister and B55 owner Derek d:

Thanks for the contribution Derek!

Here is a picture of the Landing Gear Motor Drive Gear. That little gear drives the whole landing gear system! Rumor has it this motor is a descendant of the motor that rotated the gun turrets in WWII vintage bombers.

No longer a "rumor", this sure looks like the ancestor of our flap motors on this B26 Martin gun turret!

Now what are the rest of you Beechcraft owners with original landing gear components in your 3,000, 4,000, 5,000, and 6,000+ TT airframes waiting for! 

Click HERE for More Landing Gear Rod End Tips, Sources, Rod End Catalogs and Part Numbers

See the ABS Landing Gear Inspection Manual HERE

YOU'VE GOT TO READ THIS Landing Gear Tip: Is your mechanic taking the slack out of your inner gear door mechanism by tightening the turnbuckle rods? Maybe there is a reason for that slack in the mechanism?

Ask your mechanic to examine the play/wear of this Bushing/Rod End and Bolt combo that attaches to the top transmission swing arm before tightening up the linkage. Part total time estimated at 4,000 hours. The bolt was worn down 0.005" and the rod end would not even hold the bushing anymore.

This tip and many other landing gear tips are compliments of a VERY EXPERIENCED Beech Lister who found this slop and dug further when he was installing a freshly overhauled gear motor in his Debonair.

*For more info on LGRMs (Landing Gear Related Mishaps) visit: Mastery Flight Training created by Tom Turner, ABS' Executive Director

Tom Turner