What happened
On June 23, 2018, a Piper PA 34-200T, registration HK5020, was performing a medical evacuation flight from Bucaramanga to Saravena, Colombia. The flight, operated by Colcharter IPS S.A.S., carried a crew of two and two passengers.
The aircraft landed normally on runway 34 at Los Colonizadores Airport. However, approximately 40 meters into the landing roll, as the crew applied the brakes, the nose landing gear suddenly retracted. This mechanical failure caused the aircraft to lose directional control, veering toward the right side of the runway. As the nose section descended, the propellers made contact with the pavement, causing the engines to stop abruptly. The aircraft eventually came to a halt in the safety area, 3 meters from the edge of the runway. All four occupants evacuated the aircraft uninjured.
The investigation
The GRIAA investigation focused on the mechanical integrity of the landing gear system. Investigators found that while the aircraft was up to date with its maintenance program and no hydraulic leaks were present, the nose gear was not properly secured.
Post-event inspections revealed that the upper and lower linkage bars were not in their normal, locked positions. Although the hydraulic system was functioning and the actuator was operational, the mechanical components failed to maintain the gear in an extended and locked state under the weight and braking forces of the landing. The investigation also noted significant damage to the propeller blades and the composite skin of the nose section.
Findings
- The primary cause of the runway excursion was the misalignment of the linkage bar and the overcenter guide regulation bar within the nose landing gear.
- This misalignment, likely resulting from component fatigue, prevented the gear from remaining locked once the aircraft was subjected to the inertia of braking.
- The sudden retraction of the nose gear led to the loss of directional control and subsequent contact between the propellers and the runway surface.