Accident Details
On June 5, 2022, at approximately 1135 central daylight time, a Piper PA-32R-300 airplane, registration N901BW, was substantially damaged during a landing accident near Gettysburg, South Dakota. The flight was operating under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight.
Aircraft and Injuries
The airplane, a Piper PA-32R-300 (N901BW), sustained substantial damage. The pilot and one passenger were not injured.
Landing and Gear Collapse
The pilot reported that the landing was “harder than normal” but otherwise uneventful. After touchdown, the airplane slowed while rolling along the middle of the runway. Approximately 2,000 feet down the runway, the nose landing gear collapsed.
Examination of Engine Mount
The forward end of the engine mount provided attachment for the nose landing gear trunnion assembly. Examination of the fractured engine mount revealed that the right attachment foot had separated from the mount. The outboard side of the fracture surface was smeared, consistent with post-separation contact from the mating side of the fracture surface. The inboard side of the fracture was through the fillet weld joints where the upper tube and inboard tube interfaced with the attachment foot, transitioning through the tubes around to the outboard side.
Further examination using a scanning electron microscope showed circular and elongated dimple features consistent with tensile and shear overstress fracture. The tube fractures had a matte grey appearance and were generally oriented at 45° to the support tube longitudinal axes, consistent with overstress fracture. The deformation of the left trunnion assembly bolt and the smearing pattern on the fractured engine mount were consistent with the overstress fracture originating at the inboard side of the attachment foot weld joint, with a generally outboard and slightly downward separation. The bent trunnion assembly attachment bolts were consistent with a large load through the nose landing gear before the engine mount fracture.