Bellanca 17-30A N9792E accident near Sparta, Tennessee

Probable cause

Failure of the nose landing gear mount during a normal landing due to an improper weld.

NTSB analysis

During a normal landing, the weld that joins the right side nose landing gear to the engine mount failed, resulting in a partial collapse of the nose landing gear. The pilot was unable to maintain directional control of the airplane. The airplane travelled off the runway and collided with a fence resulting in substantial damage. The engine mount was modified about 18 years prior to the accident. The modification included the addition of vertically oriented tubes welded on both sides of the engine mount near the nose landing gear attach points, inadequate weld repair on the right side resulted in voids or gaps, and no fusion in some areas. Although the engine mount had been removed and inspected in 2003, and extensive maintenance was completed the month before the accident, visual inspection of the suspect area would not have been able to detect the inadequate weld repair.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for MIA08LA185 for the full record.