What happened
During the landing phase, the pilot reported that the touchdown initially appeared normal. However, after several seconds, the Piper aircraft began swerving to the right. The pilot attempted to correct the deviation by applying full left aileron and heavy left braking, but the aircraft continued its rightward path and departed the runway.
Upon exiting the runway, the nose gear collapsed. The aircraft then slid approximately 300 feet on its main landing gear and the underside of the cowling before coming to a complete stop. There were no injuries reported in the accident.
The investigation
Mechanical examination of the aircraft revealed that the engine mount had fractured at the attachment foot for the right nose gear actuator. Investigators observed rust on the fracture surface, which indicated that the crack was pre-existing rather than a result of the landing impact.
The specific area where the fracture occurred was subject to a Piper Service Bulletin. This bulletin mandated that operators inspect engine mounts for cracks every 100 flight hours until the original two-piece welded foot design was replaced with a newer model featuring one-piece feet at the nose gear actuator attachment points. The aircraft involved was still equipped with the original two-piece design. A review of the maintenance records showed that the required inspection from the Service Bulletin had not been performed during the most recent annual inspection, which had occurred 89.1 flight hours prior to the accident.
Findings
- The engine mount featured a pre-existing crack at the right nose gear actuator attach foot.
- The aircraft was equipped with an older engine mount design susceptible to such fractures.
- Maintenance records indicated a failure to comply with the required inspection intervals specified in the Piper Service Bulletin.