What happened
During the landing phase, the pilot confirmed that all landing gear were down and locked. Following a normal touchdown, the aircraft began veering to the left. Despite the application of right rudder input, the airplane traveled off the runway onto the grass, where it collided with a runway light. The nose landing gear collapsed during the excursion, and the aircraft came to rest in an upright position. There were no injuries reported.
The investigation
An examination of the aircraft following its recovery revealed that the right two-piece foot was fractured at the attachment location of the nose landing gear actuator. NTSB investigators examined the right foot and found evidence of fatigue. This fatigue covered a 90-degree arc and approximately 55 percent of the 0.07-inch wall thickness of the foot.
Findings
Investigation revealed that Service Bulletin 1103B, which is not mandatory for the operator of this aircraft, had not been complied with. This bulletin calls for repetitive inspections of the engine mount to check for cracks in the specific area where the fatigue crack was located.