Pilot Debrief

PIPER AIRCRAFT INC PA46R-350T near York, PA — 2020-12-30

Final reportERA21LA238
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Date
2020-12-30
Location
York, PA, USA
Airport
THV
Aircraft
PIPER AIRCRAFT INC PA46R-350T
Registration
N463ST
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

An improper weld repair of the engine mount, which resulted in a fatigue failure of the mount and subsequent nose landing gear collapse. Contributing to the accident was maintenance personnel’s failure to accomplish the manufacturer’s service bulletin pertaining to engine mount inspections.

NTSB narrative

During the landing rollout at the conclusion of a cross-country flight, the nose landing gear collapsed. A postaccident examination revealed the engine mount had failed, allowing the nose landing gear (NLG) actuator to impinge the firewall resulting in substantial damage. Further examination of the engine mount revealed that the right-side NLG actuator attachment foot failed from fatigue. The area had been previously repaired by welding, and old resolidified metal was found inside the crack surfaces. The previous weld repair was of poor quality and occurred prior to the owner/pilot purchasing the airplane. There was no documentation of the repair in the maintenance records. Inspection of the engine mount was addressed by a service bulletin (SB) issued by the airframe manufacturer, and there was no record of its compliance during the latest annual inspection of the airplane. The SB also called for the replacement of cracked engine mounts as repairs were not permitted.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Failure to inspect engine mount as per service bulletin led to collapse during landing.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 9 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents9

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