19980415010879I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-23-250 · Madison, WI · April 15, 1998

Date: April 15, 1998 · 10:30 local
Place: Madison, WI
Airport: Dane Co Regional-Truax Field
Phase of flight: Takeoff Ground Roll
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N51ME
Reported as: Piper PA23250
Reported engine: Lycoming IO540C4B5
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,762 total94 in this make and model156 in the last 90 days

N51MERegistration cancelled Apr 24, 2015 · Piper PA-23-250S/N 27-7854066 · Built 1978 Airframe modelPiper PA-23-250 Engine modelLycoming IO-540 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: the pilot reported no unusual findings on pre-flight or during taxi at msn. Pilot taxied out charlie to runway 18. Tower offered option to runway 13 which he accepted due to winds that were 080 at 16 knots. Pilot turned onto charlie and completed run-up and requested take-off clearance. Just beginning take-off roll when nose gear collapsed causing both props to strike ground. Found upper nose landing gear drag link bolt broken 13/4" from bolt head. Bolt appears to have been cracked for some time and appears to have started at a flawed area on the bolt and progressed in stages.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: THE PILOT REPORTED NO UNUSUAL FINDINGS ON PRE-FLIGHT OR DURING TAXI AT MSN. PILOT TAXIED OUT CHARLIE TO RUNWAY 18. TOWER OFFERED OPTION TO RUNWAY 13 WHICH HE ACCEPTED DUE TO WINDS THAT WERE 080 AT 16 KNOTS. PILOT TURNED ONTO CHARLIE AND COMPLETED RUN-UP AND REQUESTED TAKE-OFF CLEARANCE. JUST BEGINNING TAKE-OFF ROLL WHEN NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED CAUSING BOTH PROPS TO STRIKE GROUND. FOUND UPPER NOSE LANDING GEAR DRAG LINK BOLT BROKEN 13/4" FROM BOLT HEAD. BOLT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN CRACKED FOR SOME TIME AND APPEARS TO HAVE STARTED AT A FLAWED AREA ON THE BOLT AND PROGRESSED IN STAGES.