Piper PA 31P N14TG accident near Calexico, California

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain the proper pitch attitude during the landing, which resulted in the nose landing gear contacting the surface hard and then separating from the airplane.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that he set up for a straight-in approach to the runway, that the approach was normal, and that he completed the prelanding checklist. He was targeting 90 knots indicated airspeed (KIAS) for touchdown, but the airplane was "slightly fast" as it was approaching the runway, so he pulled the power back to idle and initiated the landing flare. The airplane was unresponsive when he pulled up the nose. Although the airplane settled down on the main landing gear first, the nosewheel then contacted the surface and abruptly sheared off, the nose landing gear assembly separated from the airplane, and the airplane then nosed down and slid about 1,000 feet down the runway before coming to rest.

Postaccident examination of the nose landing gear strut assembly found that the housing was ruptured and that the strut had separated. Further examination of the assembly found no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that there were known problems controlling the airplane's nose attitude when the airplane was in the landing configuration between 90 KIAS and the recommended landing speed of about 80 KIAS. He stated that, although both these speeds are above the stall speed, they are too slow for the airplane to respond to pilot elevator control inputs. It is likely that the pilot did not maintain the appropriate pitch attitude for landing and that the nose landing gear contacted the surface hard, which broke the gear strut.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR14LA051 for the full record.