Introduction
On 19 June 2000, a Piper PA-34-200, registration I-MIMU, operated by PANAIR C.A.M. srl, was involved in an incident during a training flight at Palermo Punta Raisi Airport. The aircraft was on a training flight from Catania Fontanarossa to Palermo Punta Raisi with an instructor and a student pilot on board. Neither pilot reported any injuries.
Event
During the approach to Palermo Punta Raisi, after completing landing checks and extending the landing gear, the three green gear indicator lights illuminated, but the red transit light remained on. To confirm gear extension, the crew performed two low passes over the tower; the controller visually confirmed the gear appeared extended. The aircraft then landed on runway 02 with full flaps. During the landing roll, the nose gear retracted, causing the nose of the aircraft to scrape along the runway for approximately 100 meters before coming to a stop.
Damage
The aircraft sustained damage to the propeller blades, lower engine cowling, nosewheel bay, and forward doors. There were no injuries to the pilots.
Investigation
The investigation was initially opened by the Ministry of Transport and Navigation before being transferred to the Italian National Flight Safety Agency (ANSV) on 23 November 2000. Technical examination of the nose gear assembly revealed that the wheel-fork-shock absorber-trunnion assembly was in good condition. However, the stop lugs in the leg casting showed evidence of significant forcing to the right and left, consistent with forced ground maneuvers with the nosewheel at its angular limits. The support truss was undamaged, and both the emergency release and hydraulic systems functioned normally. The lower support of the steering flange had a clear fracture; tension from the steering cables had displaced the flange upward, causing the moving track to separate from the fixed track. Examination indicated that the spherical pin of the gear likely exited the track through the gap and subsequently became jammed in a nearby reinforcement gusset, locking the gear at approximately 60 degrees of extension.
Probable Cause
Probable pre-existing over-steering of the nosewheel at the departure airport.