Piper PA 46 350P N60PB

Summary

On 22 July 2014 at about 16:15 local time, a Piper PA 46 350P registered N60PB was involved in an accident near Auburn, Washington, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 July 2014 at 16:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Auburn, Washington, United States

Nearest airport

Auburn Municipal (S50)

Coordinates

47.3278, -122.2267

Aircraft

Piper PA 46 350P

Registration

N60PB

Category

Airplane

Year built

2004

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Seattle → Auburn

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR14LA307

Nobody was injured.

A collapse of the nose landing gear for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot reported that he performed the before landing checklist and verified that there were three green landing gear indicator lights illuminated. He added that the landing was "soft" and that he held the nose gear off the runway as long as possible. When the nose gear touched down, the airplane veered sharply to the left. The pilot applied right rudder control and brakes to avoid a runway excursion. The nose gear collapsed and the airplane skidded to a stop. The airplane was not made available for examination after the accident. A review of maintenance records indicated that a service bulletin (SB) to inspect the engine mounts for cracks, which the manufacturer considered mandatory, was not accomplished. The SB stated that cracks develop in the area of the nose gear actuator feet on the engine mount. The condition can occur when the nose landing gear is subjected to excessive loads due to hard landings, rough field operations, excessive-speed turns, improper airplane towing, or other improper operations. It is possible that the engine mount was cracked as identified in the service bulletin, which led to the nose gear collapse; however, because the airplane was not examined following the accident, the reason for the nose gear collapse could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.