What happened
On 24 June 2014, a Cessna P210N, registration N210SH, was performing a private flight that concluded at Cotswold Airport, Gloucestershire. Due to ongoing maintenance on the primary runway, the pilot elected to land on the grass runway 08 under calm wind conditions.
After touchdown, the pilot utilized reverse thrust and applied heavy braking to decelerate for a planned turn-off. As the aircraft approached the turn-off, the pilot determined the speed was too high and continued toward the next available exit. During this maneuver, the pilot released the brakes and cancelled the reverse thrust. The pilot noted that releasing the brakes abruptly on this specific aircraft often causes a pitching motion, which occurred during this sequence. As the aircraft reached a walking pace near the next turn-off, the nose landing gear collapsed. There were no injuries to the pilot or the single passenger, though the aircraft sustained damage to the engine, gearbox, propeller, landing gear doors, and nosewheel.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanical integrity of the nose landing gear assembly. Investigators examined the aircraft's maintenance records and discovered that the original nose gear actuator spring guide contained plastic components, specifically two plastic pins designed to fit into the downlock hooks.
It was established that these plastic pins were prone to fracturing. If the pins failed, the downlock spring would lose tension, making the gear susceptible to collapsing if the aircraft encountered bumps during taxiing. While the manufacturer had issued a service information letter in 1984 recommending the replacement of these plastic parts with an all-steel version, a review of the aircraft's logbooks revealed no evidence that the upgraded metal component had been installed.