What happened
On 12 August 1999, a Piper PA-34-200T, registration G-CHEM, was conducting a private flight from Guernsey to Stapleford Tawney Airfield in Essex. The weather conditions at the destination were favorable, featuring visibility exceeding 10 km and scattered clouds at 3,500 feet.
During the arrival, the co-pilot performed a visual approach and landing on runway 22L. The commander verified that the landing gear was down and locked, noting three green lights on the instrument panel. The landing was initially assessed as normal, with the main gear making contact with the runway at the appropriate speed. However, as the nosewheel was lowered onto the runway surface, the nose gear collapsed. The aircraft subsequently slid roughly 300 metres along the runway before coming to a halt in the grass area. There were no injuries to the two crew members, and the occupants evacuated the aircraft safely following standard shutdown procedures.
The investigation
Investigators examined the damage to the propellers, nose gear, and nose gear door. A maintenance organisation inspected the aircraft's landing gear assembly to determine the cause of the collapse. Their technical assessment identified a mechanical failure within the nose gear down lock mechanism. Furthermore, the inspection revealed distortions in the locking mechanism that suggested the aircraft had been subjected to previous heavy landings.