What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
PIC statement: "I reached the approach end of the runway, I established my landing point to be about 100 feet passed the numbers on the first painted centerline. I was at about 95 knots entering the approach end of the run way. Power was reduced and I was about 85 knots I flared and landed softly to the left of center line.
I was rolling slightly left the center line, I rolled approximately 1,200 feet while speed was reducing. I was in control moving toward the center line, everything felt normal as speed continued to drop. Speed was about 68 knots and I was approaching the center line, I had both hands on yoke holding it back slightly, I was making light rudder inputs to the to get to the center line, the left directional input was not working and I went with more pressure with left rudder. Instead of going left as controlled, the plane took a hard right at about at 45 degree angle. It felt as if the nose quit rolling for a nano second and the tail of the plane was skidding to the left. I felt like the tail was ground looping the nose. The plane had major g force on the left main and felt like the left side was sliding down the runway as much as rolling. I went to neutral pedals the skid reduced and the plane continued on an approximate 45 degree off the runway.
The plane went off the runway at an estimated speed of 50 knots. The grass was wet and muddy, the nose gear collapsed, the propeller was reduced to about 6 inches on each blade and the plane came to rest nose down about 150 from the runway. I turned off battery, feathered and pulled emergency fuel shut off. Exited the plane with no injuries to me, my wife or our dog. To the extent of damage, I would have no clue, the mud was soft, the nose took the weight of the plane."
Aircraft landed just to the left of center of the runway and as aircraft approached the center of the runway left the PIC reported that rudder input was not affecting nose gear steering. PIC stated that more pressure was applied to the left rudder pedal and the aircraft responded by turning hard to the right. Tire marks show the aircraft entering a skid with the right wing trailing, the aircraft departed the runway on the west side of runway 18. The nose wheel rotated full deflection to the left, plowing a rut instead of rolling, then the nose gear collapsed, folding aft under the nose of the aircraft.
PIC reported that the aircraft nose gear steering did not respond to the rudder pedal inputs. The nose gear assembly was removed from the aircraft and shipped to Piper for examiniation.
As the FAA filed it
PIC STATEMENT: "I REACHED THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY, I ESTABLISHED MY LANDING POINT TO BE ABOUT 100 FEET PASSED THE NUMBERS ON THE FIRST PAINTED CENTERLINE. I WAS AT ABOUT 95 KNOTS ENTERING THE APPROACH END OF THE RUN WAY. POWER WAS REDUCED AND I WAS ABOUT 85 KNOTS I FLARED AND LANDED SOFTLY TO THE LEFT OF CENTER LINE.
I WAS ROLLING SLIGHTLY LEFT THE CENTER LINE, I ROLLED APPROXIMATELY 1,200 FEET WHILE SPEED WAS REDUCING. I WAS IN CONTROL MOVING TOWARD THE CENTER LINE, EVERYTHING FELT NORMAL AS SPEED CONTINUED TO DROP. SPEED WAS ABOUT 68 KNOTS AND I WAS APPROACHING THE CENTER LINE, I HAD BOTH HANDS ON YOKE HOLDING IT BACK SLIGHTLY, I WAS MAKING LIGHT RUDDER INPUTS TO THE TO GET TO THE CENTER LINE, THE LEFT DIRECTIONAL INPUT WAS NOT WORKING AND I WENT WITH MORE PRESSURE WITH LEFT RUDDER. INSTEAD OF GOING LEFT AS CONTROLLED, THE PLANE TOOK A HARD RIGHT AT ABOUT AT 45 DEGREE ANGLE. IT FELT AS IF THE NOSE QUIT ROLLING FOR A NANO SECOND AND THE TAIL OF THE PLANE WAS SKIDDING TO THE LEFT. I FELT LIKE THE TAIL WAS GROUND LOOPING THE NOSE. THE PLANE HAD MAJOR G FORCE ON THE LEFT MAIN AND FELT LIKE THE LEFT SIDE WAS SLIDING DOWN THE RUNWAY AS MUCH AS ROLLING. I WENT TO NEUTRAL PEDALS THE SKID REDUCED AND THE PLANE CONTINUED ON AN APPROXIMATE 45 DEGREE OFF THE RUNWAY.
THE PLANE WENT OFF THE RUNWAY AT AN ESTIMATED SPEED OF 50 KNOTS. THE GRASS WAS WET AND MUDDY, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED, THE PROPELLER WAS REDUCED TO ABOUT 6 INCHES ON EACH BLADE AND THE PLANE CAME TO REST NOSE DOWN ABOUT 150 FROM THE RUNWAY. I TURNED OFF BATTERY, FEATHERED AND PULLED EMERGENCY FUEL SHUT OFF. EXITED THE PLANE WITH NO INJURIES TO ME, MY WIFE OR OUR DOG. TO THE EXTENT OF DAMAGE, I WOULD HAVE NO CLUE, THE MUD WAS SOFT, THE NOSE TOOK THE WEIGHT OF THE PLANE."
AIRCRAFT LANDED JUST TO THE LEFT OF CENTER OF THE RUNWAY AND AS AIRCRAFT APPROACHED THE CENTER OF THE RUNWAY LEFT THE PIC REPORTED THAT RUDDER INPUT WAS NOT AFFECTING NOSE GEAR STEERING. PIC STATED THAT MORE PRESSURE WAS APPLIED TO THE LEFT RUDDER PEDAL AND THE AIRCRAFT RESPONDED BY TURNING HARD TO THE RIGHT. TIRE MARKS SHOW THE AIRCRAFT ENTERING A SKID WITH THE RIGHT WING TRAILING, THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE RUNWAY ON THE WEST SIDE OF RUNWAY 18. THE NOSE WHEEL ROTATED FULL DEFLECTION TO THE LEFT, PLOWING A RUT INSTEAD OF ROLLING, THEN THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED, FOLDING AFT UNDER THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT.
PIC REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT NOSE GEAR STEERING DID NOT RESPOND TO THE RUDDER PEDAL INPUTS. THE NOSE GEAR ASSEMBLY WAS REMOVED FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND SHIPPED TO PIPER FOR EXAMINIATION.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.