What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On January 29, 2014, civil aircraft N888YW, a Diamond DA-40-180, departed El Monte Airport runway 19 in clear weather conditions. Shortly after rotation personnel on the ground at El Monte Airport observed the nose wheel and fairing depart the aircraft and fall to the ground. An unknown caller reported the incident immediately to the El Monte air traffic control tower (ATCT). The ATCT contacted aircraft N888YW on the practice area frequency and informed the pilot in command (PIC) that there was a report of the nose landing gear falling off. The PIC acknowledged the call and indicated they would return to the airport and perform a low pass fly by of the tower for a visual inspection. During the low pass the El Monte ATCT observed the nose gear missing and informed the PIC. The PIC made one additional low pass to confirm the condition of the nose strut.
The PIC proceeded to return to the airport for a landing on runway 19. The aircraft landed safely touching down on the main landing gear. The PIC cut off the engine upon touchdown and the propeller stopped in a horizontal position preventing a propeller strike. The PIC lowered the nose gently onto the nose strut and stopped the aircraft on the runway with minimal damage limited to the nose strut assembly.
Los angeles flight standards district office (FSDO) was notified of the incident prior to the aircraft landing and inspectors james groat and rajiv mehta were dispatched to the scene. Enroute to the scene the inspectors were notified that the nose wheel assembly had landed in pioneer park and the El Monte police were on scene and had secured the debris field.
Upon arrival at pioneer park the nose wheel assembly and fairing were located in a baseball field at pioneer park approximately 1,000 yards beyond the runway 19 thresehold. The parts were photograpghed in place and recovered. There were no injuries or damage to structures on the ground from falling debris. The debris was collected and the inspectors proceeded to the El Monte Airport.
Upon arrival at the scene the aircraft had been removed from the active runway and placed in the socal flying club hangar. Socal flying club is the owner the aircraft involved in the incident. NTSB investigator elliot simpson of the western pacific region was contacted by inspector in charge (iic) james groat from the lax FSDO and inspector simpson was briefed on the preliminary details of the incident. Inspector simpson concluded there was not a need for NTSB on scene involvement.
The pilot of the aircraft, privacy data omitted, was interviewed after signing acknowledgement of receipt of the pilot's bill of rights notification. privacy data omitted Described the aforementioned incident stating that there were no injuries to personnel on board. privacy data omitted Sent an email to inspector mehta from the laxfsdo with his written statement.
An inspection of the aircraft was performed on scene and it was determined through physical evidence that the nose wheel assembly had departed the aircraft after takeoff due to a failure of unknown origin causing the nose wheel locking nut to depart from the nose strut. The galvanized nose wheel locking nut, Diamond part number DIN985-M12-verzinkt, was not recovered. This nut is the sole means of securing the nose wheel assembly to the nose strut, and without the nut attached the nose wheel, unsecured, fell off the aircraft shortly after takeoff. The nose wheel travel stop plate, Diamond part number D41-3223-00-51, was recovered just beyond the runway 19 thresehold validating the hypothesis that the nut and subsequently the nose wheel assembly departed the aircraft shortly after takeoff. The nose strut experienced damage from torsional stress and had material loss from abrasion with the surface. The nose wheel assembly had damage consistent with impact only. No other damage was found to the aircraft. A safety recommendation will be submitted with suggested preventative actions.
As the FAA filed it
ON JANUARY 29, 2014, CIVIL AIRCRAFT N888YW, A DIAMOND DA-40-180, DEPARTED EL MONTE AIRPORT RUNWAY 19 IN CLEAR WEATHER CONDITIONS. SHORTLY AFTER ROTATION PERSONNEL ON THE GROUND AT EL MONTE AIRPORT OBSERVED THE NOSE WHEEL AND FAIRING DEPART THE AIRCRAFT AND FALL TO THE GROUND. AN UNKNOWN CALLER REPORTED THE INCIDENT IMMEDIATELY TO THE EL MONTE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER (ATCT). THE ATCT CONTACTED AIRCRAFT N888YW ON THE PRACTICE AREA FREQUENCY AND INFORMED THE PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC) THAT THERE WAS A REPORT OF THE NOSE LANDING GEAR FALLING OFF. THE PIC ACKNOWLEDGED THE CALL AND INDICATED THEY WOULD RETURN TO THE AIRPORT AND PERFORM A LOW PASS FLY BY OF THE TOWER FOR A VISUAL INSPECTION. DURING THE LOW PASS THE EL MONTE ATCT OBSERVED THE NOSE GEAR MISSING AND INFORMED THE PIC. THE PIC MADE ONE ADDITIONAL LOW PASS TO CONFIRM THE CONDITION OF THE NOSE STRUT.
THE PIC PROCEEDED TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT FOR A LANDING ON RUNWAY 19. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED SAFELY TOUCHING DOWN ON THE MAIN LANDING GEAR. THE PIC CUT OFF THE ENGINE UPON TOUCHDOWN AND THE PROPELLER STOPPED IN A HORIZONTAL POSITION PREVENTING A PROPELLER STRIKE. THE PIC LOWERED THE NOSE GENTLY ONTO THE NOSE STRUT AND STOPPED THE AIRCRAFT ON THE RUNWAY WITH MINIMAL DAMAGE LIMITED TO THE NOSE STRUT ASSEMBLY.
LOS ANGELES FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE (FSDO) WAS NOTIFIED OF THE INCIDENT PRIOR TO THE AIRCRAFT LANDING AND INSPECTORS JAMES GROAT AND RAJIV MEHTA WERE DISPATCHED TO THE SCENE. ENROUTE TO THE SCENE THE INSPECTORS WERE NOTIFIED THAT THE NOSE WHEEL ASSEMBLY HAD LANDED IN PIONEER PARK AND THE EL MONTE POLICE WERE ON SCENE AND HAD SECURED THE DEBRIS FIELD.
UPON ARRIVAL AT PIONEER PARK THE NOSE WHEEL ASSEMBLY AND FAIRING WERE LOCATED IN A BASEBALL FIELD AT PIONEER PARK APPROXIMATELY 1,000 YARDS BEYOND THE RUNWAY 19 THRESEHOLD. THE PARTS WERE PHOTOGRAPGHED IN PLACE AND RECOVERED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR DAMAGE TO STRUCTURES ON THE GROUND FROM FALLING DEBRIS. THE DEBRIS WAS COLLECTED AND THE INSPECTORS PROCEEDED TO THE EL MONTE AIRPORT.
UPON ARRIVAL AT THE SCENE THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM THE ACTIVE RUNWAY AND PLACED IN THE SOCAL FLYING CLUB HANGAR. SOCAL FLYING CLUB IS THE OWNER THE AIRCRAFT INVOLVED IN THE INCIDENT. NTSB INVESTIGATOR ELLIOT SIMPSON OF THE WESTERN PACIFIC REGION WAS CONTACTED BY INSPECTOR IN CHARGE (IIC) JAMES GROAT FROM THE LAX FSDO AND INSPECTOR SIMPSON WAS BRIEFED ON THE PRELIMINARY DETAILS OF THE INCIDENT. INSPECTOR SIMPSON CONCLUDED THERE WAS NOT A NEED FOR NTSB ON SCENE INVOLVEMENT.
THE PILOT OF THE AIRCRAFT, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, WAS INTERVIEWED AFTER SIGNING ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RECEIPT OF THE PILOT'S BILL OF RIGHTS NOTIFICATION. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DESCRIBED THE AFOREMENTIONED INCIDENT STATING THAT THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO PERSONNEL ON BOARD. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SENT AN EMAIL TO INSPECTOR MEHTA FROM THE LAXFSDO WITH HIS WRITTEN STATEMENT.
AN INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS PERFORMED ON SCENE AND IT WAS DETERMINED THROUGH PHYSICAL EVIDENCE THAT THE NOSE WHEEL ASSEMBLY HAD DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT AFTER TAKEOFF DUE TO A FAILURE OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN CAUSING THE NOSE WHEEL LOCKING NUT TO DEPART FROM THE NOSE STRUT. THE GALVANIZED NOSE WHEEL LOCKING NUT, DIAMOND PART NUMBER DIN985-M12-VERZINKT, WAS NOT RECOVERED. THIS NUT IS THE SOLE MEANS OF SECURING THE NOSE WHEEL ASSEMBLY TO THE NOSE STRUT, AND WITHOUT THE NUT ATTACHED THE NOSE WHEEL, UNSECURED, FELL OFF THE AIRCRAFT SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF. THE NOSE WHEEL TRAVEL STOP PLATE, DIAMOND PART NUMBER D41-3223-00-51, WAS RECOVERED JUST BEYOND THE RUNWAY 19 THRESEHOLD VALIDATING THE HYPOTHESIS THAT THE NUT AND SUBSEQUENTLY THE NOSE WHEEL ASSEMBLY DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF. THE NOSE STRUT EXPERIENCED DAMAGE FROM TORSIONAL STRESS AND HAD MATERIAL LOSS FROM ABRASION WITH THE SURFACE. THE NOSE WHEEL ASSEMBLY HAD DAMAGE CONSISTENT WITH IMPACT ONLY. NO OTHER DAMAGE WAS FOUND TO THE AIRCRAFT. A SAFETY RECOMMENDATION WILL BE SUBMITTED WITH SUGGESTED PREVENTATIVE ACTIONS.