Cessna T210N Accident at Private Aerodrome Near Komatipoort (ZS-NPJ)

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On 10 March 2007, a Cessna T210N with registration ZS-NPJ was involved in an accident at a private aerodrome near Komatipoort. The aircraft was operating a private flight, and the pilot-in-command held a valid private pilot licence with 901.8 total flying hours and 118.3 hours on type. The pilot was 49 years old at the time of the incident. ## Operational Context and Meteorological Conditions The pilot was preparing for a private flight from a private aerodrome near Komatipoort to a private aerodrome near Musina. The accident occurred at 1100Z. Meteorological conditions at the time included an easterly wind at 10 knots, a temperature of 31°C, and visibility reported as CAVOK. ## Accident Sequence and Damage According to the pilot, he did not perform a runway inspection prior to takeoff because he had landed on the same runway earlier that day. During the takeoff roll, the nose wheel struck a rock located in the centre of the runway. The rock was approximately 12 cm long and about the size of a brick, and it had been obscured by grass. The impact caused the nose landing gear to collapse and the propeller to strike the ground. The pilot sustained no injuries, and there were no other persons on board. The aircraft sustained damage to the propeller, lower fuselage, and nose landing gear. ## Maintenance and Investigation Findings After the accident, the nose landing gear was inspected by an Approved Maintenance Organisation, which confirmed that no mechanical malfunction was found that could have caused the nose landing gear to collapse. The last Mandatory Periodic Inspection (MPI) prior to the accident was certified on 2 October 2006 at 3,946.1 airframe hours. At the time of the accident, the aircraft had flown 29.5 hours since that MPI. Records indicated that the Aircraft Maintenance Organisation that certified the last MPI held a valid AMO Approval No. 085, with an expiry date of 30 November 2007.