What happened
On September 13, 2003, at approximately 03:15, a PIPER PA-21, registration EC-CDS, was performing a positioning flight from Palma de Mallorca to Barcelona Airport. The aircraft, operated by Tadair, S. A., was being piloted by a co-pilot with approximately 100 hours of experience in the type.
During the landing roll on runway 02, the aircraft suffered a nose gear collapse shortly before reaching the intersection of the airport's two runways. The impact caused the aircraft to come to a stop on its main gear and the nose gear doors. The two crew members on board were uninjured and were able to evacuate the aircraft without difficulty.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanical state of the landing gear and the circumstances of the impact. Inspections of the wreckage revealed that the main landing gear was locked in the down position. During the recovery process, the nose gear was observed to drop and lock correctly.
Investigators found that the nose tire was deflated and had rotated approximately one-third of a revolution on the rim, which had caused the valve to be sheared. There were no signs of a puncture or high-speed contact with the runway on the tire itself. Additionally, the left main gear strut was found to be collapsed, having lost its hydraulic fluid and air pressure due to damaged internal O-rings.
Ground functional tests performed on the aircraft while on jacks showed that the landing gear operated correctly, with all three legs locking securely in the extended position. Maintenance records indicated that the strut had been serviced 15 days prior to the incident with no anomalies noted.