Incident Summary
On 4 January 2004 at 16:59 UTC, a Cessna 210-L Centurion, registration D-EBAM, operated by South Sun Aviation, experienced a nose landing gear collapse during landing at Aeródromo de Portimão. The flight was a passenger transport service from Casarrubios Del Monte, Spain, with destination Faro. The aircraft had five persons on board: one pilot and four passengers. All occupants exited the aircraft unharmed by their own means.
Sequence of Events
The aircraft landed on the runway of Portimão Municipal Aerodrome. During the landing roll, while decelerating, the pilot felt a strong vibration in the nose landing gear leg, followed by a cracking sound. The pilot assumed a damper failure and relieved pressure on the nose wheel. Subsequently, the nose gear collapsed and the airplane came to a stop on the runway.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft was a Cessna 210-L Centurion, a high-wing single-engine landplane, manufactured in 1975, with serial number 210-61120. It was powered by a Teledyne Continental IO-520L engine and equipped with a McCauley D3A32C88-R propeller. The operator was South Sun Aviation – Transportes Aéreos, Lda., based in Faro.
Damage
The aircraft damage included a broken nose gear hydraulic jack attachment, damaged propeller tips, and bent nose gear doors.
Meteorological Conditions
The weather was good with light wind. The METAR for LPFR at 09:30 UTC was: 05004KT CAVOK 12/07 Q1021.
Persons on Board
There was one pilot and four passengers. No injuries were reported.
Probable Cause
The probable cause was not determined in the fact-sheet.