Incident Description
During the landing roll, as the nose wheel made contact with the runway, the pilot reported experiencing a "hard bump followed by a violent jerking motion to the left." The aircraft subsequently departed the runway before coming to rest.
Examination Findings
After the incident, removal of the engine cowling and examination of the engine mount revealed that the right side of the nose gear actuator aft attach point had separated from the tube cluster on the mount assembly. The actuator was found pushed aft into the firewall. A section of the firewall, located aft of the nose landing gear actuator, was crushed upward and aft into the forward baggage compartment. According to the manufacturer's representative engineer, the structural integrity at the base of the engine mount was compromised and would require major repair. Photographs and stereoscopic magnification of the separated surface of the nose gear actuator aft attach point showed signatures consistent with overload.
Maintenance History
Service Bulletin (SB) No. 1103 was issued by the manufacturer for inspection and/or replacement of the engine mount. This service bulletin had not been performed on the accident aircraft. However, the owner/pilot reported that it was scheduled to be performed at the next scheduled maintenance visit.