What happened
On March 14, 2003, a Beech Baron 58, registration ZS-IHX, was conducting a private positioning flight from Port Elizabeth to Kwandwe Game Farm, located north of Grahamstown. The flight was operated by a pilot accompanied by a commercial pilot.
During the short final approach, the pilot identified a thorn bush, roughly two meters in height, positioned on the runway centerline approximately seven meters from the threshold. As the aircraft approached the landing area, the nose gear struck the vegetation. Following the impact, the pilot reported a loud bumping sound and realized the nose gear assembly had been compromised. Upon touchdown, the aircraft veered toward the right side of the runway and came to a stop off the paved surface. There were no fatalities and no injuries reported for the two occupants.
The investigation
Investigators examined the condition of the aircraft and its maintenance history. The aircraft had been properly maintained, with the most recent Mandatory Periodic Inspection (MPI) completed on February 24, 2003, at 7,664 airframe hours. Only 36 hours had been flown since that inspection. The investigation focused on the mechanical failure of the landing gear following the encounter with the obstacle on the runway.
Findings
- The primary cause of the loss of directional control was the failure of the nose gear drag brace.
- The drag brace failed due to an overload condition caused by the nose gear assembly colliding with a thorn bush on short final approach.
- The impact of the bush caused the nose gear to fold backwards, leading the aircraft to veer off the runway.