Incident Description
On June 12, 2008, at 12:56 local time, a Piper PA-34-200T, registration EC-IHS, operated by CAVSA, departed from Valencia Airport for a multi-engine training flight with an instructor and two students aboard. During the climb after gear retraction, the crew noticed the gear-in-transit indicator remained illuminated. They attempted to extend the gear manually, finding that while the main gear extended and locked, the nose gear did not lock. Multiple extension attempts and the emergency extension procedure failed to secure the nose gear.
Crew members observed from the cockpit that the nose gear appeared extended, but limited visibility via the verification mirror under the left engine prevented confirmation of locking. They requested a low pass over the tower for visual confirmation. Tower confirmed the gear appeared down. The pilot then prepared for an emergency landing, moving occupants to rear seats to shift the center of gravity aft for better stability during a potential tail-first landing. The approach was made at low speed with minimal descent rate. The main gear touched down, and the pilot held the nose up until the aircraft settled onto the runway, skidding approximately 20 meters before stopping.
All three occupants evacuated unaided and were uninjured. Airport emergency services responded promptly. The aircraft sustained damage to the nose gear doors, all four propeller blades, forward fuselage, and nose wheel.
Investigation Findings
Examination of the nose gear revealed deformation of the tiller track—the guide for the wheel during retraction—at both its upper and lower portions, approximately 5 cm from the end of travel. The track was also twisted from its upper mounting bolt to the deformed area. When the assembly was reinstalled to check clearances with the steering arm assembly, pedal movement showed the tiller track no longer functioned as a guide because the lower support had fractured at its weld with the bracket. The mounting bolt hole was elongated to about 1.5 times the bolt diameter. The bolt itself had damaged threads from the resulting play.
Maintenance Background
Piper issued Service Bulletin No. 1123B on April 20, 2006, for the PA-34 series, requiring inspections every 100 hours of the nose gear components, including the tiller track, steering arm, and associated bolts. The bulletin specifies checking bolt torque (50-70 in-lbs) and replacing bolts if worn. In this case, no anomalies had been noted prior to the incident. The bulletin did not specifically address the lower support that failed.
Conclusion
The nose gear retracted because incomplete extension prevented the over-center lock from engaging. The cause was improper guidance due to the steering arm assembly being held only by the upper support after the lower support fractured. The fracture was progressive, partly caused by elongation of the bolt hole from improper tightening of the nut and bolt connecting the steering arm assembly to the nose gear bracket.