What happened
On 20 February 2024, a Piper PA 34-220T aircraft, registered ZS-LPM, was conducting a Part 141 training flight from Grand Central Airport (FAGC) toward the Brits general flying area. The flight, manned by an instructor and a student pilot, was intended to be an introductory session for the student to experience multi-engine operations.
During the flight, while cruising at approximately 120 knots, the instructor instructed the student to deploy the landing gear to practice descent maneuvers. While the left and right main gears locked into position, the nose landing gear remained retracted. The crew attempted to cycle the gear and even performed emergency extension procedures as outlined in the Pilot’s Operating Handbook, but the nose gear would not deploy. After attempting to manually assist the extension by rocking the aircraft for 15 minutes, the crew elected to return to Grand Central Airport.
Upon arrival, the crew coordinated with airport rescue and firefighting personnel to verify the gear status. Despite further troubleshooting, the nose gear remained up. The crew proceeded to land on Runway 3 and, after reducing speed and shutting down the engines, the aircraft struck the runway on its nose cone. The aircraft skidded for approximately 239 meters, resulting in substantial damage to the airframe. There were 0 fatalities and no injuries were reported.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the aircraft following the incident. Post-accident inspections revealed that the nose gear doors had been damaged by the runway skid. Interestingly, once the aircraft's tail was manually lowered to lift the nose, the nose gear actually extended and locked into position, though the cause of the initial failure to open the doors remained unclear.
Technical testing of the hydraulic and emergency extension systems following the accident showed both were fully serviceable. However, the investigation noted that the gear had been extended at a speed exceeding the recommended 85-knot limit.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the failure of the nose landing gear to extend during the landing phase.
- A significant contributing factor may be a known airworthiness concern involving a hex-head bolt on the nose gear centering spring. This bolt can contact the nose gear door actuation assembly, physically preventing the nose gear doors from opening.
- It was noted that this specific issue, highlighted in Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) CE-09-15, was not addressed during the aircraft's most recent mandatory periodic inspection.