Incident
On June 17, 2018, at approximately 1120 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-30, registration N8674Y, experienced a nosegear collapse while landing at Vero Beach Regional Airport (VRB), Vero Beach, Florida. The private pilot and one passenger were not injured. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The airplane had departed VRB around 1040 for a local flight.
The pilot reported that after returning to VRB, he entered the right base leg of the airport traffic pattern for landing on runway 4. Due to traffic ahead, he extended the landing gear early to reduce airspeed. He confirmed the gear was extended via the green indicator light in the cockpit and a reflective mirror on the left engine nacelle to view the nosegear. On short final approach, he again confirmed the gear extension. The airplane touched down near the touchdown markings. After approximately 500 feet of landing roll, the nosegear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest upright on the runway.
Examination
Initial examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that all three landing gear had collapsed. Substantial damage was noted to the underside of the fuselage. The airplane was later recovered to a hangar and placed on jacks. A mechanic examined the airplane to provide a repair estimate for the insurance adjuster. During this examination, no anomalies or damage were found to the landing gear system, except for bent main landing gear extension rods.
Weather Conditions
The recorded weather at VRB at 1153 included wind from 030° at 7 knots, visibility 10 miles, and a clear sky.