Incident Details
On 30 January 2004, at 0756 UTC, a Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage, registration G-BYLM, was landing at Alderney in the Channel Islands. The pilot, the sole occupant, was conducting a private flight from Bournemouth. The pilot reported obtaining weather information from the Met Office website before departure.
At Alderney, the pilot flew a visual approach to Runway 26 at 90 kt with the landing gear indicating down and locked. The surface wind was estimated at 200° and 20-30 kt, prompting the use of a wing-down technique to manage the crosswind. The aircraft touched down on the main wheels followed by the nose wheel. After touchdown, the aircraft veered right, requiring left rudder and brake inputs. The nose then lowered, allowing the propeller to contact the tarmac. The aircraft came to rest approximately 200 metres into the runway. The pilot transmitted a 'MAYDAY', shut down the aircraft, and vacated via the main door. Aerodrome fire services, on weather standby, arrived about 20 seconds later. The official weather report at 0750 hrs recorded surface wind as 200°/21 kt gusting to 33 kt, with a strong wind warning issued at 0725 hrs. The aircraft's demonstrated crosswind limit is 17 kt.
Examination Findings
Post-incident examination revealed that the nose landing gear actuator attachment feet, part of the engine mount, had fractured, causing the nose landing gear to collapse. These feet are short steel tubes welded to the mount. One foot showed evidence of cracking with a corroded surface, suggesting old damage, while the other fracture surfaces were clean and bright.
Piper Service Bulletin 1103B, issued on 25 November 2003, added a check to an existing requirement for inspecting these parts for cracks every 100 hours or annually, whichever came first. The inspection specified a liquid penetrant method requiring removal of paint and protective treatments. The repetitive inspection was no longer needed if an alternative standard engine mount with redesigned actuator attachment feet was installed. The bulletin noted that cracking '... typically occurs when the nose landing gear is subjected to excessive loads, possibly through hard landings, rough field operations, excessive speed turns and/or improper towing of the aircraft'.
Despite being designated 'Mandatory' by Piper, the service bulletin was not supported by an FAA or UK CAA Airworthiness Directive, so operators were not legally obligated to comply. For G-BYLM, no record of compliance with the service bulletin was found in the aircraft logbooks or elsewhere. The relevant pages of the Maintenance Manual did not reference the service bulletin. It was considered possible that an inspection within the last 100 hours could have detected the damage as it progressed and prevented the accident.
Safety Recommendation
Safety Recommendation 2004-54 was issued, recommending that the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the FAA make the inspection requirements of the latest revision to Piper Service Bulletin 1103 mandatory by Airworthiness Directive.