What happened
On March 19, 2025, at approximately 1445 EDT, a Cessna S550, registration N627HS, was involved in an accident near Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The aircraft was operating under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight.
The flight originated from Conway-Horry County Airport (HWY) in Conway, South Carolina. The pilot reported that the enroute portion of the flight proceeded without incident. While approaching Hilton Head Airport (HXD), the pilot configured the aircraft for landing by selecting the landing gear to the down position, noting that all three green gear safe lights were illuminated.
Upon touchdown on the runway, the nose gear collapsed as it made contact with the surface. The pilot reported feeling a bump and hearing a scraping sound. As the aircraft decelerated, the pilot maneuvered to exit the runway. There were no injuries to the pilot or the passenger, but the aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The investigation
An inspection conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector determined that the nose landing gear actuator had fractured. The inspection also revealed that the landing gear bay and the adjacent airframe structure had been ground down and buckled. The fractured nose landing gear actuator was retained for further analysis.