The Accident
On May 31, 2023, at 1545 eastern daylight time, a Rockwell International Corporation 695 airplane, registration N515AM, was involved in an accident at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The private pilot and the passenger were not injured. The airplane was operating as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
Pilot Report
According to the pilot, he made a normal landing but began to feel a “wobble” in the nose landing gear before it collapsed. The nose landing gear was pushed back into its wheel well, and the airplane slid to a stop on the forward lower fuselage.
Postaccident Examination
Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the skin, stringers, and frames that required a major repair. The pressure vessel was not breached.
Engineering Inspection
According to the airplane type certificate holder, who performed an engineering inspection and some repairs to the airplane in preparation for it to be ferried for additional repairs, the nose landing gear upper drag brace pivot support structure was found damaged. This damage may have resulted in the drag brace rotating and the landing gear retracting/collapsing upon landing. It was not determined as to why the support structure failed.