20060414005629I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-34-200T · Pasco, WA · April 14, 2006

Date
April 14, 2006 · 18:30 local
Place
Pasco, WA
Airport
Tri Cities Airport
Phase of flight
Touch And Go Landing
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N7609C
Reported as
Piper PA34200T
Reported engine
Continental TSIO360EB
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
600 total6 in this make and model15 in the last 90 days

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.

(-23) At approximately 1830 hours on 04-14-06, while performing touch and go landings associated with multi-engined instructor training, the nose gear collapsed while rolling out on runway 21R at Pasco, WA (psc). The aircraft sustained nose damage associated with a nose gear collapse and both propellers struck the ground causing sudden stoppage to both engines. Post incident inspection showed the bracket, that references the gear drag link which is riveted to the firewall between the nose gear and cockpit, became loose due to loose rivets and allowed movement sufficient to let the drag link go from an overcenter-down and locked position to an overcenter position in the retract direction allowing the nose gear to collapse. No injuries to instructor or student and no post crash fire.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) AT APPROXIMATELY 1830 HOURS ON 04-14-06, WHILE PERFORMING TOUCH AND GO LANDINGS ASSOCIATED WITH MULTI-ENGINED INSTRUCTOR TRAINING, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED WHILE ROLLING OUT ON RUNWAY 21R AT PASCO, WA (PSC). THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED NOSE DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH A NOSE GEAR COLLAPSE AND BOTH PROPELLERS STRUCK THE GROUND CAUSING SUDDEN STOPPAGE TO BOTH ENGINES. POST INCIDENT INSPECTION SHOWED THE BRACKET, THAT REFERENCES THE GEAR DRAG LINK WHICH IS RIVETED TO THE FIREWALL BETWEEN THE NOSE GEAR AND COCKPIT, BECAME LOOSE DUE TO LOOSE RIVETS AND ALLOWED MOVEMENT SUFFICIENT TO LET THE DRAG LINK GO FROM AN OVERCENTER-DOWN AND LOCKED POSITION TO AN OVERCENTER POSITION IN THE RETRACT DIRECTION ALLOWING THE NOSE GEAR TO COLLAPSE. NO INJURIES TO INSTRUCTOR OR STUDENT AND NO POST CRASH FIRE.