What happened
On 4 August 1998, a Piper PA-23-250, registration G-VSFT, was conducting a simulated single-engine landing at Bournemouth International Airport. The flight was part of an Instrument Rating Test, with the commander managing the aircraft.
Prior to the landing, the commander lowered the landing gear and confirmed the extension via the 'three greens' cockpit indication. Additionally, the pilot used the mirror on the engine nacelle to visually verify the position of the nose landing gear. While the landing itself proceeded without incident, the nose landing gear collapsed as the aircraft decelerated to approximately 40 kt. The impact resulted in damage to the nosewheel, the nose cone, and the propellers. There were no injuries to the two crew members on board.
The investigation
The investigation focused on why the nose gear failed to remain locked despite positive cockpit and visual indications. The commander suggested that the nose gear downlock had failed to engage, even though all instruments indicated it was secure.
Engineers performed a detailed examination of the landing gear assembly, which included various functional checks. However, this technical inspection was unable to uncover any specific mechanical defect or underlying fault that could have caused the gear to collapse during the landing roll.