What happened
On 21 February 2018, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, registration G-BZAH, was performing a private flight when it experienced an incident during landing at Netheravon Airfield, Wiltshire. Following a standard landing, the pilot heard a loud bang while the aircraft was on the runway. Immediately after the sound, the pilot observed that the nose of the aircraft appeared to be positioned lower than usual. The pilot subsequently brought the aircraft to a halt and shut down the engines to perform a visual inspection.
The investigation
An inspection of the aircraft revealed that the drag link spring of the nose landing gear had failed. To understand the origin of the component failure, a detailed metallurgical analysis was conducted on behalf of the aircraft operator. This investigation focused on the structural integrity of the high-strength steel spring and the condition of its protective surfaces.
Findings
- The investigation established that the failure of the nose landing gear drag link spring was caused by a corrosion fatigue mechanism.
- The analysis indicated that the protective coating on the high-strength steel part had been damaged.
- This breach in the coating allowed moisture to come into contact with the underlying steel, initiating the degradation process.
- There were no injuries to the pilot during the event.