Accident Details
On June 15, 2020, at approximately 1308 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-46-600TP, registration N117PR, was substantially damaged during a landing at Williston Municipal Airport (X60) in Williston, Florida. The airplane was operated as a personal flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot and passenger were not injured.
The flight originated from Abilene, Texas, about 0900, with a destination of X60. The pilot reported that during landing on runway 5, the main landing gear touched down slightly left of the runway centerline, and the airplane tracked straight down the runway. When the nosewheel touched down, the airplane made an immediate hard right turn. The pilot applied left rudder, but the nosewheel steering was unresponsive, and the airplane could not turn left. It departed the right side of the runway onto a grassy area, where the nose landing gear collapsed before the airplane came to a stop. The pilot cited a manufacturing defect in the nosewheel steering system and referenced a similar accident involving another PA-46-600TP that occurred on July 3, 2020.
The airport supervisor at X60 spoke to the pilot after the accident. The pilot reported that the nosewheel was loose during landing, he overcorrected, and the airplane traveled off the side of the runway. The supervisor added that the wind was gusting to 16 knots but did not believe it was a factor.
An off-duty officer and pilot from the Levy County Sheriff's Office, who was at the airport at the time, did not witness the approach but saw the airplane veer right during rollout and exit the runway. He estimated the wind to be about 10 knots. The pilot told him a gust of wind “got him” and that he “gave it a little power at the end.” According to the Williston Police Department report, the pilot stated that a strong gust of wind hit his craft broadside on the port side, lifting it significantly so that it lost its last wheel traction on the pavement, causing the airplane to veer off the runway.
Pilot Background
The pilot reported a total flight experience of 99 hours, including 54 hours in the same make and model as the accident airplane. He obtained his private pilot certificate in a Cessna 172 about 2.5 months before the accident. According to his electronic logbook, he received flight instruction in the accident airplane after receiving his certificate. The accident flight was the pilot’s first flight in the airplane without a flight instructor.
According to a representative of the dealership that sold the airplane, at the time of purchase, the pilot did not meet the flight experience requirements for insurance coverage and did not attend factory-authorized training. However, his flight instructor met the requirements and completed the training, and then trained the pilot.
Postaccident Examination
Postaccident examination revealed that the nose landing gear had separated, and the propeller blades were fractured. Damage was noted to the nose landing gear mounting area and the engine mount bracket. Flight control continuity was established for all flight controls, and steering control continuity was established from the rudder pedals to the steering arm. The steering horn remained intact and attached to the separated nose landing gear. The only anomaly noted during the examination was that the front tire pressure was 73.5 psi, rather than the specified 88 psi.
Skid marks on the runway showed that the nosewheel skid mark initially traveled left, then right, then extreme right at about a 30-degree angle. The left main wheel and nosewheel skid marks were most prominent, leading to the right side and into the grass. GPS data downloaded from the airplane’s Garmin G3000 integrated flight deck were consistent with the skid marks.
Weather and Wind
The recorded wind at X60 at 1315 was from 360 degrees at 11 knots.