Pilot Debrief

PIPER AIRCRAFT INC PA 46-350P near Crystal River, FL — 2022-02-01

Final reportERA22LA121
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Date
2022-02-01
Location
Crystal River, FL, USA
Airport
CGC
Aircraft
PIPER AIRCRAFT INC PA 46-350P
Registration
N35CM
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

Collapse of the nose wheel landing gear assembly due to lateral loads encountered on the turf runway during rollout.

NTSB narrative

After landing on the turf runway, the airplane drifted slightly to the right of the centerline and the pilot corrected with differential braking and left rudder, which brought the airplane back toward the centerline. When the speed reduced to less than 20 knots, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the lower engine mount was damaged. A landing gear trunnion bolt and fitting were found to have fractured consistent with overload, suggesting they fractured during the collapse rather than beforehand. Remnants of grass from the turf runway were found around the circumference of the right side of the nose landing gear wheel, between the wheel rim and the tire. This is consistent with a significant lateral load on the wheel from the right side, while the wheel was rotating (distributing grass around its circumference). Although it could not be determined when the lateral load occurred, the pilot reported correcting the airplane heading to the left during the landing roll, and tire marks showed the airplane veering left at the end of the landing roll. The lateral load on the nosewheel likely resulted in the overload failure of the trunnion bolt and fitting.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents5

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