Piper PA-34-200 Nose Landing Gear Failure at Port Alfred Aerodrome (ZS-ISD)

Incident Overview and Flight History On 8 July 2020, a Piper Aircraft Company Piper PA-34-200, registration ZS-ISD, was conducting a private systems evaluation flight under Part 91 of the Civil Aviation Regulations. The flight departed from Port Alfred Aerodrome (FAPA) in the Eastern Cape Province at 1110Z, with a pilot and an aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) on board. The flight was intended to evaluate the landing gear system following maintenance work. ## Maintenance Background Prior to the incident, the aircraft underwent a Mandatory Periodic Inspection (MPI) on 12 March 2020. Subsequent maintenance identified an elongated lower centre bolt hole on the nose gear, which caused sluggish emergency extension. The nose gear mount (part number 95551-00) was replaced, and a system functional flight on 26 March 2020 confirmed satisfactory gear cycling. Following the national lockdown, the aircraft was parked outside and treated with Tectyl 930 corrosion preventative. Upon resumption of operations, the landing gear was uninhibited, and the nose gear down lock required re-adjustment, necessitating the evaluation flight. ## Incident Sequence During the flight, the pilot selected the landing gear down for landing, but the nose gear indicated an “unsafe” condition, with only the main gear lights illuminated. The pilot cycled the gear multiple times and initiated the emergency extension procedure as per the Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH), which releases hydraulic pressure to allow the gear to free-fall. Despite these actions, the nose gear remained retracted. ## Visual Inspection and Landing The pilot conducted low-level flypasts over Runway 07, during which ground-based AMEs visually confirmed that the nose gear had failed to extend. With aerodrome rescue and fire-fighting (ARFF) personnel in position, the pilot approached Runway 10L, a 1,828-metre grass-surface runway. At approximately 50 feet above the runway, the pilot shut down both engines and feathered the propellers. The aircraft touched down on the main wheels, and the pilot attempted to keep the nose up until it contacted the runway. The aircraft skidded and came to rest in a nose-down attitude. ## Damage and Injuries The incident resulted in minor damage to the aircraft, including the lower nose cone, nose landing gear doors, and one propeller blade on the right engine, which was bent while wind-milling. There was no fire, and both occupants vacated the aircraft unassisted without injury. ## Technical Findings The investigation determined that the nose landing gear roller assembly exited the steering track during retraction after take-off. This occurred because the nose gear up lock-stopper became loose in flight, causing the roller assembly to become out-of-track. This condition prevented the nose gear from extending using both the normal and emergency extension systems. The nose gear design relies on hydraulic pressure to hold the gear up and a geometric down lock mechanism when extended, with no locking hooks for either position.