Beech A36TC N3685W accident near Flagstaff, Arizona

Probable cause

The pilot's improper landing flare and loss of airplane control, which resulted in a hard landing and the subsequent failure of the nose landing gear.

NTSB analysis

The pilot stated that, during landing, the airplane bounced and that he subsequently applied back pressure to the elevator in an effort to deplete the excess energy. The airplane touched down a second time, and the pilot held the airplane in a nose-high attitude. The airspeed decreased, and the airplane eventually came to rest on its nose. Two air traffic controllers witnessed the accident from the airport traffic control tower. They both reported that the airplane bounced a number of times during the landing sequence. One of the controllers reported that the initial landing was hard and on the nosewheel first, which caused the airplane to porpoise down the runway before the nose landing gear (NLG) collapsed.

Examination of the of the upper NLG torque knee revealed that it exhibited grinding damage and that its mounting lug, which had broken free, was elongated and that its fracture surfaces exhibited features consistent with overload. Additionally, the nosewheel fork assembly had bent aft, and the forward landing gear brace had broken into three pieces. All of the observed damage was consistent with overload failures. Further, due to the design of the landing gear system, the type of damage observed on the NLG could only have resulted from excessive forward loads being placed on it. Although the pilot reported that he thought the NLG failed due to a preexisting mechanical failure of the upper torque link, the evidence clearly indicates that it was connected to the lower torque knee before the landing and that it failed in overload during the initial hard landing and subsequent separation from the airplane.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR15LA099 for the full record.