What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) At approximately 2015 hrs on 05-19-2003 N71749, a PA-31-350 N71749 ran off runway 30 at the Wenatchee, WA airport (eat) while landing. There is evidence on the runway that the nose tire was occilating from side to side for approximately 300 yards and pulling the aircraft to the right side of the runway. The aircraft left the runway just north of the intersection with runway 07-25, as the aircraft encountered soft soil, the nose gear collapsed causing a wrinkle in the fuselage just forward of the copilots windshield extending to the right hand wing root area and damage to right and left hand propellers. No injuries to the pilot, who was alone in the aircraft, no post accident fire. An inspection of the aircraft on 05-20-2003, while tied down on the ramp near the fire station found the nose gear extend/retract links broke and bent. Also, the nose gear steering arm (p/n 44387-00) to be missing (not found on runway or at accident site) and nose gear housing assembly (p/n 40273-00) with deformed right turn limit stop bent allowing over steering to the right to approximately 80 degrees of travel. In my opinion, this accident resulted from an oversteering incident, probably by a ground handling tug. The oversteering caused shear stress on the steering arm attach bolts, allowing them to fail and cause a condition where the pilot was unable to control the direction of the aircraft on the ground, I.e. the landing roll out at eat. Also the oversteering caused the right steering stop on the upper strut housing to fail allowing the strut to easily exceed the right hand turning limit during tugging operations thus, repeatedly loading the steering arm attach bolts to be put under a shear stress load. On this aircraft, the right hand turning limit stop had been broken previously. A weld repair had been made, which was broken at the time I looked at this aircraft on 05-20-03. There is no approval for this welded repair. In my opinion, the steering stop failure was existing at the time the aircraft taxied for take off at spokane, WA (geg). Due to a lack of a preflight inspection or a lack of preflight inspection knowledge on behalf of the pilot, the steering stop failure went undetected. This failure has probably existed for some time and was not addressed by company maintenance. It would appear that performing just annual inspections rather than 100 hr inspections and annuals is inadequate for the type of operation and the number of hours flown by this operator.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) AT APPROXIMATELY 2015 HRS ON 05-19-2003 N71749, A PA-31-350 N71749 RAN OFF RUNWAY 30 AT THE WENATCHEE, WA AIRPORT (EAT) WHILE LANDING. THERE IS EVIDENCE ON THE RUNWAY THAT THE NOSE TIRE WAS OCCILATING FROM SIDE TO SIDE FOR APPROXIMATELY 300 YARDS AND PULLING THE AIRCRAFT TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT LEFT THE RUNWAY JUST NORTH OF THE INTERSECTION WITH RUNWAY 07-25, AS THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED SOFT SOIL, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED CAUSING A WRINKLE IN THE FUSELAGE JUST FORWARD OF THE COPILOTS WINDSHIELD EXTENDING TO THE RIGHT HAND WING ROOT AREA AND DAMAGE TO RIGHT AND LEFT HAND PROPELLERS. NO INJURIES TO THE PILOT, WHO WAS ALONE IN THE AIRCRAFT, NO POST ACCIDENT FIRE. AN INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT ON 05-20-2003, WHILE TIED DOWN ON THE RAMP NEAR THE FIRE STATION FOUND THE NOSE GEAR EXTEND/RETRACT LINKS BROKE AND BENT. ALSO, THE NOSE GEAR STEERING ARM (P/N 44387-00) TO BE MISSING (NOT FOUND ON RUNWAY OR AT ACCIDENT SITE) AND NOSE GEAR HOUSING ASSEMBLY (P/N 40273-00) WITH DEFORMED RIGHT TURN LIMIT STOP BENT ALLOWING OVER STEERING TO THE RIGHT TO APPROXIMATELY 80 DEGREES OF TRAVEL. IN MY OPINION, THIS ACCIDENT RESULTED FROM AN OVERSTEERING INCIDENT, PROBABLY BY A GROUND HANDLING TUG. THE OVERSTEERING CAUSED SHEAR STRESS ON THE STEERING ARM ATTACH BOLTS, ALLOWING THEM TO FAIL AND CAUSE A CONDITION WHERE THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO CONTROL THE DIRECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT ON THE GROUND, I.E. THE LANDING ROLL OUT AT EAT. ALSO THE OVERSTEERING CAUSED THE RIGHT STEERING STOP ON THE UPPER STRUT HOUSING TO FAIL ALLOWING THE STRUT TO EASILY EXCEED THE RIGHT HAND TURNING LIMIT DURING TUGGING OPERATIONS THUS, REPEATEDLY LOADING THE STEERING ARM ATTACH BOLTS TO BE PUT UNDER A SHEAR STRESS LOAD. ON THIS AIRCRAFT, THE RIGHT HAND TURNING LIMIT STOP HAD BEEN BROKEN PREVIOUSLY. A WELD REPAIR HAD BEEN MADE, WHICH WAS BROKEN AT THE TIME I LOOKED AT THIS AIRCRAFT ON 05-20-03. THERE IS NO APPROVAL FOR THIS WELDED REPAIR. IN MY OPINION, THE STEERING STOP FAILURE WAS EXISTING AT THE TIME THE AIRCRAFT TAXIED FOR TAKE OFF AT SPOKANE, WA (GEG). DUE TO A LACK OF A PREFLIGHT INSPECTION OR A LACK OF PREFLIGHT INSPECTION KNOWLEDGE ON BEHALF OF THE PILOT, THE STEERING STOP FAILURE WENT UNDETECTED. THIS FAILURE HAS PROBABLY EXISTED FOR SOME TIME AND WAS NOT ADDRESSED BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE. IT WOULD APPEAR THAT PERFORMING JUST ANNUAL INSPECTIONS RATHER THAN 100 HR INSPECTIONS AND ANNUALS IS INADEQUATE FOR THE TYPE OF OPERATION AND THE NUMBER OF HOURS FLOWN BY THIS OPERATOR.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.