On May 20, 2003, a Piper PA-31-350 (registration N71749) was involved in an aviation accident near Wenatchee, WA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Failure of the nose gear steering system for undetermined reasons during the landing roll. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
During landing roll, nose gear oscillation led to a runway excursion after the aircraft veered right. The nose gear collapsed on soft terrain. Investigation found the steering arm missing from the nose gear strut.
Accident Details
During the landing roll, the nose gear began to oscillate upon contact with the runway surface. The pilot applied up elevator to unload the nose gear. When the nose gear touched down again, the aircraft veered to the right side. The pilot attempted to compensate with left rudder input, but the aircraft traveled off the side of the runway onto soft terrain. The nose gear collapsed and the aircraft came to rest off the runway.
Pilot Actions
In response to the nose gear oscillation, the pilot used up elevator to reduce load on the nose gear. After the second touchdown and subsequent veer, left rudder was applied to correct the direction, but the aircraft continued off the runway.
Inspection Findings
Inspection of the nose gear revealed that the steering arm on top of the nose gear strut was missing. The part has not been located.