What happened
On 31 May 2005, a Mooney M20C, registration ZS-CBJ, was involved in a ground incident at Lanseria Aerodrome. After landing on Runway 06L, the pilot received clearance to taxi to the main apron to complete customs procedures, specifically parking alongside the Skycare hangar.
During the taxiing process, which lasted approximately ten minutes, the pilot attempted to execute a 180-degree turn to position the aircraft west of the hangar. To complete this maneuver, the pilot increased engine power and applied left-hand rudder input. During this turn, the nose landing gear collapsed, causing the propeller to strike the ground. The incident resulted in no fatalities and no injuries, though the aircraft sustained damage to the propeller and the lower engine cowling structure.
The investigation
SACAA AIID investigators examined the mechanical state of the aircraft and the maintenance history of the involved organizations. The aircraft's maintenance was overseen by AMO 119, which had undergone an audit in February 2005 with no significant findings. Similarly, AMO 044 had been audited in September 2004 without major issues identified.
Records indicated that the last mandatory periodic inspection (MPI) was completed in November 2004. At the time of the accident, the airframe had flown 44.1 hours since its last MPI. The engine had recorded 4290.50 total hours since new, while the propeller had accumulated 3221.80 hours since new.
Findings
- The primary cause of the gear failure was the over-steering of the nose wheel by the pilot during the 180-degree turn.
- The maneuver was performed in a confined area between the hangar and other parked aircraft, which restricted available space.
- The excessive rudder input likely caused the nose wheel to tilt onto its side, placing an overload on the push-pull controls and leading to the failure of the nose landing gear frame.