Accident Overview
The company did not report the accident to the FAA or the National Transportation Safety Board. An FAA airworthiness inspector discovered the damaged aircraft in a hangar at the company base. The pilot and a company mechanic, who were onboard during the accident, submitted written statements.
Flight Details
The aircraft was on a positioning flight to pick up a medical evacuation patient at a dirt airstrip. Both the pilot and mechanic reported that the approach and touchdown on the dirt airstrip were normal. The mechanic stated that he saw three down and locked gear lights before landing.
Sequence of Events
After touchdown on the main landing gear, the nose of the aircraft settled down past the normal nose gear contact point. According to the mechanic, the aircraft nose then went to the right and the aircraft began to slide sideways. The aircraft veered off the runway to the right and struck a barbed wire fence. Neither the pilot nor the mechanic reported any unusual noises or sensations from the nose gear during the landing. Both stated that the landing gear tracks were straight on the runway until the nose gear "dug in and veered to the right."
Damage Inspection
The FAA inspector noted that the nose gear failed to the left with evidence of a side load. The upper right trunnion fractured from the nose gear casting. The fracture face appeared to be instantaneous overload, with no evidence of pre-existing cracks or flaws.