What happened
The incident occurred while the pilot was attempting to land under variable wind conditions that included gusts reaching approximately 15 knots. During the approach and touchdown phase, the aircraft began to porpoise, a phenomenon where the nose repeatedly bounces up and down upon contact with the runway surface.
During this unstable sequence, the nose landing gear struck the runway hard multiple times. These repeated impacts caused significant structural damage to the nose gear assembly. As a result of the mechanical failure, the pilot found it increasingly difficult to maintain directional control of the aircraft on the ground.
Eventually, the pilot lost complete control of the aircraft. The plane departed the side of the runway, ending its ground roll in an uncontrolled manner off the paved surface.
The investigation
Examination of the event focused on the landing dynamics and the subsequent mechanical failure. The primary finding was that the nose gear sustained damage due to the hard impacts during the porpoising sequence. This damage directly contributed to the loss of controllability, preventing the pilot from keeping the aircraft aligned with the runway centerline.
Findings
Contributing factors included the variable wind conditions and gusts which likely influenced the landing technique. The immediate cause was the nose gear damage sustained during the porpoising event, which rendered the aircraft difficult to control and led to the departure from the runway.