What happened
During a nighttime arrival at Raleigh-Durham Airport, an aircraft experienced a structural failure immediately following touchdown. The nosewheel of the plane collapsed as it contacted the runway, causing the aircraft to slide along the pavement for a short distance before coming to a complete stop.
Despite the impact and subsequent sliding motion, there were no injuries reported among the passengers or crew. All 43 occupants successfully evacuated the aircraft without harm. Following the incident, the airframe was inspected and determined to be a total loss, as it was deemed damaged beyond repair.
Findings
Investigations into the mechanical failure identified a malfunction within the nosewheel steering system. The collapse was triggered by a fatigue fracture located in a valve body on the twin valve of the nosewheel steering jack. This specific component failure led to unstable oscillations, which ultimately compromised the integrity of the landing gear assembly during the landing phase.