What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
August 28, 2018 ? Received telecom approximately 0930 local from the centralized regional operations center (roc) regarding an aircraft with collapsed nose gear on the runway at the Hartford/Brainard airport, (khfd) Hartford, Connecticut. Event id 538708. Aircraft was U.S. Registered N178DP, model -Piper PA-46-350P converted to a PA-46T jetprop by STC. Serial number 4636333, with four souls on board. The conversion was completed 82.1 hours prior to the accident and the pilot had 50 hours in type. The FAA investigator in charge (iic) arrived on site @ 1030 hours local time and coordinated with the airport emergency response team and NTSB. All four souls reported no injuries
The aircraft sustained substantial damage when the nose gear collapsed during a hard landing at the Hartford/Brainard (khfd) airport, runway two-zero. Visual flight rules (VFR) were in effect. The pilot was on an instrument flight plan from the manchester new hampshire (kmat) airport and accepted the visual approach prior to landing.
Initial inspection of the airplane reviled the upper bolt that attaches the nose gear piston to the lower structured engine mount sheared upon landing or very soon thereafter. The bottom bolt of the piston remained in tacked and attached to nose gear. The force of the nose gear piston retracting due to a harder than normal landing then expanded, bent and then sheared the upper mount bolt causing substantial damage to the lower attached structured engine mount. The treaded part of the bolt was removed but the head and shank of the bolt remains in the mount due to its deformation. The mount is tweaked and miss-aligned by approximately one inch. The piston caused additional damage when it struck the firewall. The firewall damage is approximately one foot in length running along the bottom edge of the firewall. The nose gear piston was unbroken and did not fail. The four bladed mt wood and composite prop struck the runway and reduced the 4 blades down close to the root hub. The aircraft skidded on the lower fairing from the point of damage approximately two thousand additional feet coming to a stop about two hundred feet from the end of the runway. The nose gear, tire, and piston were intact when the aircraft was removed from the runway. This inspector viewed a security video from the khfd airport showing N178DB over the numbers on the approach end of the runway just prior to the accident. The aircraft was in level flight approximately 30 to 40 feet above ground. Speed and configuration could not be determined. The video was short as the airplane flew out of the camera frame.
As the FAA filed it
AUGUST 28, 2018 ? RECEIVED TELECOM APPROXIMATELY 0930 LOCAL FROM THE CENTRALIZED REGIONAL OPERATIONS CENTER (ROC) REGARDING AN AIRCRAFT WITH COLLAPSED NOSE GEAR ON THE RUNWAY AT THE HARTFORD/BRAINARD AIRPORT, (KHFD) HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT. EVENT ID 538708. AIRCRAFT WAS U.S. REGISTERED N178DP, MODEL -PIPER PA-46-350P CONVERTED TO A PA-46T JETPROP BY STC. SERIAL NUMBER 4636333, WITH FOUR SOULS ON BOARD. THE CONVERSION WAS COMPLETED 82.1 HOURS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT AND THE PILOT HAD 50 HOURS IN TYPE. THE FAA INVESTIGATOR IN CHARGE (IIC) ARRIVED ON SITE @ 1030 HOURS LOCAL TIME AND COORDINATED WITH THE AIRPORT EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM AND NTSB. ALL FOUR SOULS REPORTED NO INJURIES
THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WHEN THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED DURING A HARD LANDING AT THE HARTFORD/BRAINARD (KHFD) AIRPORT, RUNWAY TWO-ZERO. VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) WERE IN EFFECT. THE PILOT WAS ON AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT PLAN FROM THE MANCHESTER NEW HAMPSHIRE (KMAT) AIRPORT AND ACCEPTED THE VISUAL APPROACH PRIOR TO LANDING.
INITIAL INSPECTION OF THE AIRPLANE REVILED THE UPPER BOLT THAT ATTACHES THE NOSE GEAR PISTON TO THE LOWER STRUCTURED ENGINE MOUNT SHEARED UPON LANDING OR VERY SOON THEREAFTER. THE BOTTOM BOLT OF THE PISTON REMAINED IN TACKED AND ATTACHED TO NOSE GEAR. THE FORCE OF THE NOSE GEAR PISTON RETRACTING DUE TO A HARDER THAN NORMAL LANDING THEN EXPANDED, BENT AND THEN SHEARED THE UPPER MOUNT BOLT CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE LOWER ATTACHED STRUCTURED ENGINE MOUNT. THE TREADED PART OF THE BOLT WAS REMOVED BUT THE HEAD AND SHANK OF THE BOLT REMAINS IN THE MOUNT DUE TO ITS DEFORMATION. THE MOUNT IS TWEAKED AND MISS-ALIGNED BY APPROXIMATELY ONE INCH. THE PISTON CAUSED ADDITIONAL DAMAGE WHEN IT STRUCK THE FIREWALL. THE FIREWALL DAMAGE IS APPROXIMATELY ONE FOOT IN LENGTH RUNNING ALONG THE BOTTOM EDGE OF THE FIREWALL. THE NOSE GEAR PISTON WAS UNBROKEN AND DID NOT FAIL. THE FOUR BLADED MT WOOD AND COMPOSITE PROP STRUCK THE RUNWAY AND REDUCED THE 4 BLADES DOWN CLOSE TO THE ROOT HUB. THE AIRCRAFT SKIDDED ON THE LOWER FAIRING FROM THE POINT OF DAMAGE APPROXIMATELY TWO THOUSAND ADDITIONAL FEET COMING TO A STOP ABOUT TWO HUNDRED FEET FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE NOSE GEAR, TIRE, AND PISTON WERE INTACT WHEN THE AIRCRAFT WAS REMOVED FROM THE RUNWAY. THIS INSPECTOR VIEWED A SECURITY VIDEO FROM THE KHFD AIRPORT SHOWING N178DB OVER THE NUMBERS ON THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY JUST PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN LEVEL FLIGHT APPROXIMATELY 30 TO 40 FEET ABOVE GROUND. SPEED AND CONFIGURATION COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE VIDEO WAS SHORT AS THE AIRPLANE FLEW OUT OF THE CAMERA FRAME.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.