What aircraft was involved and where did it happen?

The accident on 2011-03-08 involved a Tecnam P2002-JF, registration F-HIAE, at FR.

What was the probable cause of the accident?

The nose gear fork underwent a ductile failure under heavy lateral loads during the takeoff roll, leading to a loss of directional control and a runway excursion.

Nose gear failure causes runway excursion in Tecnam P2002-JF

A solo training flight in a Tecnam P2002-JF ended in a runway excursion at Brest-Bretagne after the nose gear collapsed during takeoff.

What happened

On March 8, 2011, a Tecnam P2002-JF, registration F-HIAE, was performing a solo navigation flight from Brest-Bretagne aerodrome. During the takeoff roll on runway 25 left, just before reaching rotation speed, the aircraft experienced a sudden veer to the left. Despite the pilot applying significant right rudder input, the aircraft could not be controlled. The nose gear subsequently failed, causing the aircraft to pitch forward and veer off the left side of the runway into the grass. The aircraft sustained heavy damage.

Investigators noted tire marks on the runway indicating the leftward veer. Approximately 20 meters from the runway edge, the nose gear fairing began scraping the ground, followed by propeller strikes as the aircraft moved into the grass. The nose wheel eventually detached approximately 10 meters from the runway edge.

The investigation

Technical examinations of the nose gear revealed that the right side of the nose gear fairing was heavily damaged by friction, with visible degradation to the wheel rim. The investigation established that the nose gear fork had fractured at a specific point of reduced cross-section. The deformation of the fork was indicative of a ductile failure caused by heavy lateral loads.

Review of the aircraft's history showed that in November 2009, the manufacturer, Tecnam, had modified the nose gear fork material and thickness (increasing it from 6 mm to 8 mm) to reduce production costs. While the manufacturer stated this modification was intended to increase resistance, the investigation also reviewed several similar incidents involving the P2002 model where nose gear failures or deviations occurred during takeoff rolls.

Findings

The investigation could not determine the exact sequence of the nose gear failure, but the event and similar historical occurrences suggest an inherent fragility in the nose gear assembly.
The pilot was experienced in the type, with 28 total flight hours, though only four hours were as pilot-in-command.
Meteorological conditions were favorable, with a light 5-knot wind and CAVOK visibility.

Safety action

Following a safety recommendation from the BEA, the manufacturer issued Service Bulletin 172-CS-Ed 1 Rev 0 in October 2014. This bulletin, requested by EASA, provides information on recommended improvements for the nose gear assembly to enhance airworthiness monitoring.