Accident Sequence
On July 4, 2023, at about 1911 central daylight time, a Piper PA-46-600TP airplane, N600BJ, was substantially damaged during a landing accident at Houston Executive Airport (TME), Brookshire, Texas. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operating as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
According to the pilot, during final approach the airplane crossed the runway threshold at about 80 to 85 knots and touched down normally. As the nose landing gear came down, the airplane pulled to the left, prompting the pilot to apply right rudder to straighten it. The airplane then suddenly veered hard to the right and did not respond to rudder pedal inputs as expected. As the airplane neared the right side of the runway, the rudder became more responsive, but the right landing gear continued into the grass. The pilot applied left rudder and turned hard to the left, crossing the runway and exiting the left side into the grass. The airplane rotated 180° from the landing direction and came to rest in the mud. The pilot and passenger exited without further incident.
Runway Evidence
Black tire marks on the runway were traced back from the airplane’s final resting location, and the tire marks from the accident landing were identified. The sequence of events reported by the pilot matched the tire marks on the runway. The main landing gear tire marks showed the tread pattern evident through the veer to the right. The right gear and nose gear tracks departed the right side of the runway before reentering. After reentry, all three tire tracks were solid. During the veer to the left, the black marks were moderate to extreme and intermittent in a few places.
Postaccident Examination
A postaccident examination revealed that the right and left gear wheels fractured from the airplane where the fork attached to the oleo strut tube. The right wing was bent upward about midspan. There was buckling damage to the lower right fuselage just aft of the wing.
The nose gear remained intact with no anomalies noted with the gear or the steering system. There was a small impact mark on the aft face of the left side of the steering arm, consistent with contacting the stop on the engine mount. The gap between the steering arm and the left and right rollers was measured in accordance with the service letter. On both sides, a 0.015-inch feeler gauge was inserted with a little resistance. The nose gear strut had 1 1/6 inches of chrome visible.
Data Retention
An Appareo Stratus 2S portable automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) receiver and a multi-function display SD card were retained for data extraction and analysis.