What happened
On 17 November 2007, a Cessna T 210 N, registration ZS-MZJ, was conducting a private flight from St Francis Aerodrome to Port Alfred Aerodrome. The purpose of the flight was to collect an instructor for an instrument rating renewal. During the downwind leg of the approach to Port Alfred, the pilot noticed that the green light indicating the landing gear was locked had failed to illuminate.
In an attempt to rectify the issue, the pilot cycled the landing gear twice. When this failed, the pilot attempted to use the emergency pump and even pulled the circuit breaker to force the gear down, but the indication remained unchanged. Consequently, the pilot diverted the flight to Port Elizabeth International Aerodrome (FAPE). Upon entering the Port Elizabeth Terminal Control Area, the pilot declared an emergency. To verify the gear status, the pilot flew over the control tower, where air traffic control confirmed the gear appeared to be down.
During the landing on runway 08, the pilot maintained a nose-high attitude for as long as possible, approaching at an indicated airspeed of 80 kts. However, upon contact with the runway, the nose gear collapsed. The aircraft rolled approximately 30 to 40 meters, at which point the propeller struck the runway surface, causing the engine to stop and the aircraft to come to a rapid halt. There were no injuries to the pilot or the passenger.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the aircraft and the mechanical failure of the landing gear assembly. The investigation focused on the mechanical state of the nose gear and the maintenance history of the aircraft. It was noted that the most recent mandatory periodic inspection (MPI) had been completed on 31 August 2007, with 38.0 flying hours accumulated since that inspection.
Findings
- The primary cause of the nose gear collapse was the failure of the pin that secures the nose gear to the airframe.
- The failure of this pin was likely the result of fatigue.
- While the aircraft was being inspected by an aircraft maintenance organisation, the specific pin was not explicitly identified in the initial maintenance statements or reports.