Piper PA 46 350P N224JJ accident near Houston, Texas

Probable cause

The nose landing gear collapse as a result of the fracture of the engine mount at the nose gear actuator attachment point in an area that a service bulletin (SB) recommended for inspection. Contributing to the accident was maintenance personnel’s inadequate compliance with the SB.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that, just after landing and as the nosewheel touched the runway, the airplane veered sharply left. The pilot applied right rudder; however, the airplane continued off the left side of the runway. The airplane's nose landing gear (NLG) collapsed, and the airplane came to rest in a grassy area 150 ft from the runway.

The examination of the airplane revealed a fractured engine mount in the area of the NLG actuator. As a result of similar accidents, the airplane's manufacturer had issued (about 12 1/2 years before the accident) a mandatory service bulletin (SB), which included a 100-hour recurring inspection to determine if cracks had developed on the engine mount in the area of the NLG actuator feet. The latest version of the SB was issued about 6 months before the accident. A review of the airplane's maintenance records revealed that maintenance personnel had completed the SB inspection during three previous annual inspections; however, there was no record that the SB inspection was conducted during the last annual inspection, which occurred about 6 months before the accident. The accident is consistent with an uncommanded left turn during landing as a result of a broken engine mount. Based on the evidence and the events, it's likely that maintenance personnel did not inspect the engine mount during the most recent annual inspection or that they did inspect the area and missed the cracks that had likely developed on the engine mount.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN15LA078 for the full record.