Cessna C750 Nose Gear Collapse at Paphos Airport

Event Overview and Immediate Outcome On 2 July 2021, a Cessna C750 aircraft, registration SX-ECI, was instructed by Paphos Tower to taxi for runway 29 via taxiways K and H. Shortly after beginning taxi from stand 7 at 20:35 local time, the aircraft executed a right turn at very low speed. During this maneuver, the nose landing gear retracted, causing the aircraft to come to rest with its nose on the apron. The crew shut down the engines, and all occupants evacuated the aircraft without injury. ## Damage Assessment The accident resulted in damage to the nose landing gear doors, hinges, actuator, and associated hardware. The left and right nose skin panels were buckled, and the right wheel well above the door hinges showed wrinkles. Additional damage was found on the belly fairing panel and structural frames between frame stations 309 and 334. A panel bond assembly equipped with a VHF/UHF antenna was broken, and rigid tubing assemblies in the aileron power trim and feel area were bent. A linear actuator and bungee were also broken. ## Investigation and Technical Findings The investigation was conducted by the AAIIB in accordance with Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention, European Regulation 996/2010, and Cyprus Aircraft Accident & Accident Investigation Law 2015. The sole objective was accident prevention, not the apportionment of blame or liability. During post-accident troubleshooting, engineers applied hydraulic pressure to the aircraft with the landing gear control handle in the gear-down position. All landing gears inadvertently began to retract. This indicated a fault in the landing gear logic module, which normally sends signals to a hydraulic module to direct pressure to the actuators according to pilot selection. The landing gear logic module (P/N 9914728-2) and the nose landing gear actuator (P/N 9914452-3) were sent to the manufacturer for investigation. Both items were received by the manufacturer on 11 August 2021. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board was requested to be present during the investigation of those parts. A detailed damage report was also sent to the manufacturer's structural department to evaluate temporary repairs for a ferry flight to Greece.