What happened
On March 18, 2019, at approximately 2:30 PM local time, a PA-34-200T, registration N2085M, was performing a private general aviation flight from Valdosta, Georgia, to Nassau, Bahamas. While on short final for runway 09 at Lynden Pindlar International Airport, the pilot noticed that the nose gear had failed to extend.
The crew attempted to rectify the situation through three separate extension attempts and by following the prescribed emergency gear extension procedures. When these efforts failed to deploy the gear, the pilot proceeded with the landing. Upon touchdown, the nose gear collapsed, resulting in damage to the nose cone and the nose undercarriage. There were six people on board the aircraft during the incident, and none of the occupants sustained injuries.
The investigation
The AAID conducted a field investigation into the incident. The inquiry focused on the mechanical failure of the landing gear system and the sequence of events leading to the touchdown on runway 09. The investigation confirmed that the aircraft's nose gear remained retracted despite the pilot's efforts to deploy it using both standard and emergency methods.