What happened
On 0/3/2018, a private flight operating under VFR transitioned from Port Alfred to East London. The flight, involving a single pilot, proceeded without incident until the aircraft reached Runway 29 at East London Airport (FAEL). During the landing roll, the nose gear assembly suddenly failed, causing the nose of the Beechcraft Baron 58 to drop. As the aircraft continued down the runway, the propeller blades struck the asphalt surface, and the aircraft skidded along the runway before coming to a halt on the left side of the strip. There were no injuries reported.
The investigation
Investigators from the SACAA AIID examined the wreckage and the aircraft's maintenance history. The inspection of the aircraft, registration ZS-JYD, revealed that the nose gear retraction brace assembly had fractured. This structural failure caused the gear to fold back into the wheel well. The impact resulted in minor damage to the nose cone, the nose wheel assembly, and the propellers.
Regarding the pilot's credentials, the pilot held a valid medical certificate and a private pilot license. Maintenance records indicated that the aircraft's last mandatory periodic inspection had been completed in November 2017. However, the investigation noted that the aircraft's Certificate of Airworthiness had expired on 06 March 2018, prior to the incident.
Findings
- The primary cause of the incident was the failure of the nose gear brace assembly.
- The fracture in the brace assembly was most likely caused by the stress of a hard landing.
- The aircraft sustained damage to the propellers, nose cone, and nose gear assembly.