What happened
On 27 June 2021, a Flamingo VL 3A1 with registration ZU-NKC was conducting a private flight from Nelspruit Aerodrome to the Geelbos farm airstrip in the Mpumalanga Province. The flight, operated under visual meteorological conditions, proceeded normally through the initial climb and cruise phases. Upon reaching the destination, the pilot performed a standard landing on the gravel runway. While the aircraft was decelerating during the landing roll, the nose gear suddenly collapsed, causing the propeller blades to strike the ground. The aircraft sustained substantial damage, though the pilot escaped without injury.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the wreckage and the landing gear assembly following the incident. The inspection revealed that the nose gear strut had physically separated, with the fork and the upper section breaking apart. Although the landing gear was found to be in the down and locked position, the over-centre mechanism had bent and folded rearward following the collapse. This structural failure allowed the engine's bottom cowling to skid along the runway surface. A review of all applicable maintenance records and Service Bulletins (SBs) confirmed that no existing manufacturer instructions required non-destructive testing (NDT) for the nose gear strut.
Findings
- The primary cause of the nose gear collapse was an existing fatigue crack located on the strut.
- This crack, which showed visible signs of rust, likely originated from previous hard landings.
- The fatigue crack progressed undetected during regular service until the structural integrity was compromised by an overload, leading to the separation of the strut.