Piper Aircraft Inc PA46R-350T N463ST accident near York, Pennsylvania

Probable cause

An improper weld repair of the engine mount, which resulted in a fatigue failure of the mount and subsequent nose landing gear collapse. Contributing to the accident was maintenance personnel’s failure to accomplish the manufacturer’s service bulletin pertaining to engine mount inspections.

NTSB analysis

During the landing rollout at the conclusion of a cross-country flight, the nose landing gear collapsed. A postaccident examination revealed the engine mount had failed, allowing the nose landing gear (NLG) actuator to impinge the firewall resulting in substantial damage. Further examination of the engine mount revealed that the right-side NLG actuator attachment foot failed from fatigue. The area had been previously repaired by welding, and old resolidified metal was found inside the crack surfaces. The previous weld repair was of poor quality and occurred prior to the owner/pilot purchasing the airplane. There was no documentation of the repair in the maintenance records. Inspection of the engine mount was addressed by a service bulletin (SB) issued by the airframe manufacturer, and there was no record of its compliance during the latest annual inspection of the airplane. The SB also called for the replacement of cracked engine mounts as repairs were not permitted.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA21LA238 for the full record.