Piper PA-23-250 Nose Gear Failure During Landing at Cuatro Vientos (EC-GLA)

Incident Overview and Flight Details On October 3, 2003, a Piper PA-23-250, registration EC-GLA, serial number 27-4811, manufactured in 1972, departed from Cuatro Vientos Airport in Madrid for a post-maintenance test flight. The aircraft, powered by two Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 engines, was operated by two flight instructors. The pilot in command, a 35-year-old commercial pilot and instructor, held approximately 3,500 total flight hours, including 825 hours on the Piper Aztec type. The flight was conducted to verify the performance of the aircraft's systems following a scheduled 100-hour inspection. ## Sequence of Events After takeoff, the crew performed two normal touch-and-go landings. During the third approach, the crew confirmed the landing gear was down and locked, indicated by three green lights on the instrument panel. Upon touchdown, the gear unsafe warning horn sounded. The crew initiated a go-around and observed that the nose gear indicator light was off, although the nose gear appeared extended in the mirror. The crew aborted the circuit to follow emergency procedures. ## Emergency Procedures and Landing The crew attempted to lock the gear down by cycling it multiple times, swapping indicator bulbs, and using the manual hydraulic pump, which required shutting down the left engine. Despite these efforts, the nose gear indicator remained unlit. The crew contacted the tower, requested fire services to be on standby, and was cleared to land on runway 28. To minimize fire risk, they shut down non-essential electrical systems. The aircraft landed on the main gear, and the nose gear was gently lowered. During the landing roll, the nose gear collapsed forward, causing the aircraft to drag its fuselage on the runway. The crew shut down the engines and isolated electrical and fuel systems. The aircraft came to a stop approximately 14 meters after the gear failure. ## Damage and Aftermath The incident resulted in minor damage to the aircraft, including the lower fuselage, transponder and marker beacon antennas, the nose gear, and the propeller blades, which had their tips bent backward. No injuries or fires occurred. The runway was closed for 14 minutes while fire services responded. The crew did not use the CO2 emergency gear extension system, as they assessed it could cause additional damage. Post-incident analysis revealed that a bolt and two lugs had detached from the nose gear assembly.