What happened
Between June 2000 and April 2002, several aviation incidents occurred across Italy involving various aircraft types.
In June 2000, a Piper PA-34-200, registration I-MIMU, performing a training flight, experienced a nose gear retraction during landing at Palermo Punta Raisi. The aircraft's nose slid along the runway for approximately 100 meters.
In August 2000, a Cessna 150, registration I-FFSH, experienced engine power loss near Santa Maria Nuova di Bertinoro. The pilot, having flown beyond the planned duration and the expiration of the flight's ephemerides, was forced to perform an emergency landing in a field after running out of fuel.
In May 2001, a Grob Twin Astir glider, registration I-IVAS, crashed into a wooded area near Monte Marzola after losing altitude following separation from a tow aircraft.
In February 2002, a Socata TB 9, registration I-IAEO, overran the runway at the Sabaudia airpark, impacting trees after the pilot failed to stop the aircraft within the runway limits.
In April 2002, a Piper PA-28-140, registration I-ICES, experienced a loss of control during a touch-and-go maneuver at Biella Cerrione. The aircraft underwent heavy bouncing, which resulted in the failure of the nose landing gear and the aircraft veering off the runway.
The investigation
The ANSV examined the mechanical components and flight logs for each event. For the I-MIMU incident, investigators inspected the nose gear assembly and found that a broken steering flange caused the spherical pin to dislodge from its tracks. For the I-IVAS glider crash, technical inspections of the landing gear piston revealed a worn seal. In the I-ICES training flight, the investigation focused on the pilot's longitudinal control during the heavy landing sequence.