What happened
On the morning of 23 January 2014, a privately operated Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage, registered as C-GSSA, departed from Montréal International (Mirabel) Airport, Quebec, bound for Alma, Quebec. The aircraft was carrying one pilot and one passenger.
The flight proceeded without incident until the aircraft arrived at the destination. At 1002 Eastern Standard Time, the aircraft touched down on Runway 31. Immediately upon the nose wheel making contact with the runway surface, the pilot lost directional control. The aircraft drifted to the left, exiting the runway approximately 400 feet after the loss of control began. The aircraft eventually came to a rest in a compacted snow bank located roughly 100 feet from the edge of the runway and 2200 feet from the runway threshold. While the aircraft sustained substantial damage, there were no injuries reported, and no fire occurred during the event. The impact was not severe enough to trigger the 406 megahertz emergency locator transmitter.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanical state of the aircraft's landing gear and the sequence of events following the nose wheel touchdown. Investigators examined the structural integrity of the landing gear components to determine why the aircraft could not maintain its path on the runway.