What happened
On February 20, 2003, a Piper PA-28R-201, registration I-JESC, was conducting a training flight from Montichiari Airport. The flight involved an instructor and a student performing instrument approach procedures at Parma Airport. Following a touch-and-go maneuver, the crew noticed a sharp impact originating from the nose gear bay and observed that the red landing gear movement light remained illuminated, while the green gear-down indicator failed to light up.
During the return flight to Montichiari, the crew attempted to extend and retract the nose gear multiple times using both standard and emergency commands, but the gear remained unconfirmed in the locked position. After a visual inspection by the tower confirmed the nose gear was not fully extended, the instructor declared an emergency. To mitigate potential damage, the pilot performed a low-speed approach with the mixture at idle and the propeller at maximum pitch. Upon touchdown, the aircraft's nose pressed into the runway, causing the plane to slide approximately 30 meters on its engine cowling and propeller blade before coming to a halt. There were no injuries to the two occupants.
The investigation
The ANSV examined the wreckage and the mechanical components of the nose landing gear system. The investigation focused on the failure of the hydraulic actuator and the movement of the nose gear assembly. Investigators analyzed the physical state of the landing gear linkage, the engine cowling, and the propeller. The investigation also reviewed maintenance records and the airport's emergency response procedures.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the failure of a rod end bearing (P/N 452729) due to bending overload, which disconnected the hydraulic actuator from the nose gear mechanism.
- This failure likely occurred during the gear retraction phase due to an obstruction in the gear's movement.
- Two hypotheses were considered for the obstruction: either a bolt (P/N AN4-17) was improperly installed without a cotter pin, causing a component to interfere with the retraction sequence, or the left nose gear door interfered with the shimmy damper due to mechanical wear or installation tolerances.
- Investigators found that certain bolts in the nose gear assembly had been installed in the wrong orientation, indicating deficiencies in the maintenance organization's quality control.
- The aircraft sustained damage to the engine cowling, the nose gear actuator rod, and a propeller blade.