Incident Description
On 17 November 2017 at 1237 UTC, a Piper PA-44-180T Turbo Seminole, registration N440GC, was involved in an accident at Coventry Airport during a private flight. The aircraft had two persons on board (the crew) and no passengers. The commander, a 63-year-old private pilot with 1,903 total flying hours (861 on type), was flying the aircraft. After takeoff, at approximately 800 ft, the pilot selected the landing gear up. The landing gear in transit light illuminated, but the landing gear did not retract. The pilot recycled the landing gear several times, but it still failed to retract. With the landing gear extended, the pilot observed that, in addition to the three landing gear down lights, the landing gear in transit light was also illuminated. The pilot advised Coventry Airport ATC of the problem and of his intention to return to land. The landing was initially uneventful, but as the pilot applied the brakes, the nose landing gear (NLG) retracted and the aircraft’s nose and propellers struck the runway.
Examination Findings
An examination by the aircraft’s maintenance organisation revealed that the NLG downlock pivot bolt had bent. This bending caused the downlock assembly to foul the gear doors and prevented the retraction of the leg. The displacement of the downlock mechanism prevented the nose leg from achieving the fully locked position, but it allowed the activation of the microswitch that operated the down light while the NLG was unlocked. The reason for the distortion of the pivot bolt could not be identified.
Damage and Injuries
The lower nose structure and propellers were damaged. No injuries were sustained by the crew; passengers were not on board.