What happened
Upon touchdown on the runway, the Piper aircraft veered sharply to the left, sliding off the runway surface and impacting a pile of snow. Following the landing, the pilot observed that the runway was approximately 85% covered with ice, measuring between 1/4 and 1 inch in thickness.
The investigation
Post-accident examination of the aircraft revealed an overstress fracture located on the right foot of the engine mount as well as the nose gear actuator lug. A portion of the fracture area showed signs of a preexisting fatigue crack. This fatigue region was positioned near, though not directly adjacent to, the toe of a weld portion of the foot. This specific component had been the subject of a Piper Service Bulletin, which noted that cracks in the engine mount area near the nose gear actuator attach feet could be caused by excessive loads, such as hard landings, rough field operations, excessive speed turns, or improper aircraft towing.
The Service Bulletin required operators to inspect engine mounts for cracks every 100 hours of flight time until the part was replaced with a newer model featuring a one-piece foot at the nose gear actuator attach point. A review of the aircraft logbooks indicated that the Service Bulletin had been complied with in April 2002, at which time no cracks were observed.