Accident Overview
The pilot reported that the flight, approach to landing, and touchdown were uneventful. Soon after the nose landing gear touched down, the ground spoilers deployed automatically and the thrust reversers were activated. The pilot then experienced a violent vibration or shaking. Full back pressure was applied to the control yoke, which eased the vibration until the aircraft slowed further, at which point the vibration returned. The nose landing gear subsequently collapsed to the right side, and the aircraft skidded to a stop.
Recorded Data
The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) were recovered following the incident. The CVR provided no significant information related to the event. Data from the FDR indicated that the landing touchdown was not heavy and did not involve excessive drift. The deceleration of the aircraft increased within seconds of touchdown, consistent with the deployment of spoilers and thrust reversers.
Post-Accident Examination
Damage was confirmed to the forward pressure vessel. Both nose landing gear tires remained inflated throughout the collapse. The nose gear assembly was shipped to Gulfstream facilities for further examination and analysis. Examination of the nose landing gear revealed that the collapse and separation were the result of nose landing gear shimmy. The shimmy developed when the torque link connection to the nose wheel steering/damper unit separated. This separation occurred due to the improper installation of the nose landing gear upper torque arm pin by the flight crew during the last preflight inspection of the aircraft.