Event Details
On 4 August 1998 at 1350 UTC, a Piper PA-23-250 (registration G-VSFT, year of manufacture 1977) was conducting a private training flight at Bournemouth International Airport. The aircraft was powered by two Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 piston engines. The flight was part of an Instrument Rating Test with the commander handling the aircraft. The approach involved a simulated single-engine landing.
Commander Information
The commander held an Airline Transport Pilot's Licence with an Instructor rating. He was 45 years old and had accumulated 8,300 flying hours, of which 1,507 were on the Piper PA-23-250 type. In the last 90 days he had flown 201 hours, with 46 hours in the last 28 days.
Landing and Collapse
After lowering the landing gear, the commander verified three green indicator lights and also checked the nose landing gear position using the mirror located on the engine nacelle. The landing was uneventful until the aircraft slowed to approximately 40 kt, at which point the nose landing gear collapsed.
Damage and Injuries
The collapse resulted in damage to the nosewheel, nose cone, and propellers. There were no injuries to the two crew members; no passengers were on board.
Investigation Findings
The commander attributed the occurrence to a failure of the nose gear downlock to engage, despite indications that it had done so. A detailed engineering examination, including functional checks, did not identify any defect that could have caused the nose landing gear collapse.