What happened
On April 30, 2012, a Piper PA-32R-301, registration PR-AJR, was performing a ferry flight from Goiânia to Salvador, Bahia. During the approach to runway 17 at Salvador International Airport (SBSV), the pilot discovered that the nose landing gear failed to extend following the cockpit command.
The pilot attempted to execute the emergency procedures outlined in the aircraft's operating manual to deploy the gear; however, these efforts were unsuccessful. Consequently, the pilot proceeded to land the aircraft with the nose gear in the retracted position. The aircraft sustained light damage during the landing, but the pilot remained uninjured.
The investigation
CENIPA investigators examined the mechanical state of the landing gear assembly and the maintenance history of the aircraft. The investigation focused on why the nose gear failed to respond to the extension command despite the pilot's emergency interventions.
Technical analysis revealed that a fracture had occurred in the trunnion at its attachment point to the anti-shimmy damper support. Because the anti-shimmy cylinder piston remained connected to a portion of the trunnion support, it acted as a mechanical lock, physically preventing the nose gear from completing its extension cycle. Maintenance records showed that a 50-hour inspection had been completed on the day of the occurrence, but this specific component failure was not detected during that service.