Cessna U206 N29100 accident near Grangeville, Idaho

Probable cause

The pilot’s decision to fly with a known defective nosewheel assembly, which resulted in a loss of directional control and nose-over on landing after the assembly shifted out of alignment during the flight.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that, during the landing roll on a turf airstrip, he noticed rattling and shaking after the nosewheel touched down, but had no problem holding a straight line. After taxiing to the tie-down area and parking the airplane, the pilot inspected the nose gear and found that the upper end of the nose gear scissor had separated from the casting and was lying on the tire. The pilot reported that he walked out to where he touched down and observed tire tracks on the grass, and it appeared that the nosewheel track began after a large ground squirrel hole. The pilot contacted his mechanic, who informed him that he should be able to fly home if he tied the nose gear scissor up. Before departing, the pilot taxied about 1,000 feet on the runway and made two 180-degree turns with no problems encountered. During the landing at his destination, the pilot held the nose gear off of the ground for about 1,500 feet. When the nosewheel contacted the ground, the airplane made a hard left turn that the pilot could not stop with right rudder and brake. When the airplane reached the edge of the runway, it nosed over. The pilot indicated that the nosewheel had evidently cocked 90 degrees prior to the landing.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR10LA421 for the full record.