What happened
On 19 April 2009, a Piper PA-46-310P Malibu, registration N9122N, was conducting a private flight from Oxford to Guernsey. While on an ILS approach to Runway 09, the aircraft touched down on its main wheels at approximately 90 kt. Upon the nosewheel making contact with the runway, the aircraft experienced a sudden and violent yaw to the left, accompanied by a loud screeching noise. The pilot immediately applied full power to initiate a go-around.
During the climb, the tower was notified of the incident, and the pilot requested a low-level fly-past to inspect the aircraft. Air traffic control informed the pilot that the nosewheel appeared to be offset by roughly 45 degrees and advised against retracting the gear. Following a visual confirmation of the misalignment, the pilot performed a short-field approach at a reduced speed of 80 kt, attempting to keep the nosewheel off the runway for as long as possible. However, once the nosewheel touched the surface, the aircraft veered left again, striking a runway light and causing minor damage to a landing gear wheel cover.
There were no fatalities and no injuries to the two crew members or two passengers on board.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanical failure of the nosewheel steering mechanism. Examination of the components revealed that the connecting rod, which attaches to the steering arm, had suffered a fracture. This failure was traced to abnormal bending loads acting upon the rod.
Findings
- The primary cause of the directional instability was an overload failure of the threaded section of the steering actuation/damper rod end-fitting.
- This structural failure was triggered by the seizure of a bush within the end-fitting of the rod.
- The resulting mechanical seizure caused the nosewheel to offset by approximately 45 degrees, leading to the loss of directional control upon runway contact.