What happened
On 10 March 2007, a Cessna T210N, registration ZS-NPJ, was preparing for a private flight from a private aerodrome located near Komatipoort to a destination near Musina. During the takeoff roll, the aircraft's nose wheel encountered a rock situated in the center of the runway. The object, described as being roughly 12 cm in length and similar in size to a brick, had been hidden from view by overgrown grass. The impact caused the nose landing gear to collapse, resulting in the propeller striking the ground. While the pilot escaped without injury, the aircraft suffered damage to the propeller, the nose landing gear, and the lower fuselage.
The investigation
Investigators examined the condition of the aircraft and the runway environment following the incident. A post-accident inspection by an Approved Maintenance Organisation determined that there were no mechanical malfunctions within the nose landing gear assembly that could have led to its failure. Maintenance records indicated that the most recent Mandatory Periodic Inspection (MPI) had been completed on 2 October 2006, with the aircraft having flown only 29.5 hours since that service. The investigation also noted that the pilot had opted not to conduct a runway inspection prior to departure because he had successfully landed on the same runway earlier that day.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the nose wheel striking a rock that was obscured by grass on the runway.
- The presence of the rock caused the immediate collapse of the nose landing gear assembly.
- The pilot's decision to forego a runway inspection contributed to the failure to identify the hazard.