Incident Overview
On May 21, 2018, at approximately 1310 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 421-C, registration N427JM, was substantially damaged during a landing accident near Sandersville, Georgia. The commercial pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Sequence of Events
The pilot reported that the flight was uneventful until the landing approach. He placed the landing gear handle in the down position and received three green lights, indicating the gear was down and locked. After the main landing gear touched down, he did not feel resistance from the nosewheel as it settled onto the runway. The airplane continued to settle, and the nose impacted the runway. The pilot maintained directional control and used differential braking to maneuver the airplane off the runway onto a taxiway as it skidded to a stop. After stopping, the landing gear position lights indicated all gear were down and locked.
A mechanic who witnessed the landing reported that the airplane appeared normal on final approach. He heard the main landing gear touch down, followed by a dragging sound. After the airplane came to rest, he checked on the pilot and then attempted to remove the airplane from the runway. During this attempt, the nose was lifted off the ground, but the nose landing gear could not be locked into position. The gear was ultimately strapped in place to move the airplane.
Damage and Examination
Examination by a Federal Aviation Administration maintenance inspector revealed substantial damage, including buckling of the airframe on both sides of the nose landing gear well and abrasion through to the airframe on the bottom of the nose and fuselage. The nose landing gear actuator was removed for detailed examination. It was tested in both locked and unlocked positions at correct pressures with no leaks or discrepancies noted. However, the green safe switch remained illuminated during the entire test, indicating a defective switch. The switch was brittle and appeared very old.
Maintenance History
A review of the airframe maintenance logbook showed that during the most recent annual inspection on July 10, 2017, a landing gear retraction test was conducted per the manufacturer's service manual with no defects noted. On April 27, 2018, a logbook entry indicated a main landing gear irregularity that was corrected. The landing gear was cycled 10 times with no defects noted in the nose landing gear.