What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The flight was being conducted for initial malibu training with pilot & CFI as crew. Aircraft departed ksat at 0850 for T82 and conducted basic air work in the vicinity. The aircraft then spent time in the pattern at T82 practicing takeoffs, landings, and engine out procedures. After several laps in the pattern, with four full-stop landings, the aircraft departed T82 for kedc, under VFR. Upon approach to kedc, the pilot configured the aircraft for landing, lowering landing. The pilot heard a loud noise, with a pronounced right yaw, and significant airframe vibration. The rudder pedals were stated to be making strong movements, with left rudder pushing towards the pilot. The yaw condition prevented alignment with the direction of flight. Additionally, the crew received green indication lights on the main gear and an unsafe indication for the nose gear. The crew elected to fly runway heading to have the control tower confirm the condition of the aircrafts landing gear. The controller informed the crew that they saw three gears down and cleared them for a right downwind. The crew determined that a right turn was not feasible due to the control difficulty and then decided to climb and circle the field to troubleshoot the problem. When the crew applied climb power, the engine subsequently stopped producing power. The pilot announced engine failure, and the co-pilot (CFI) immediately switched fuel tanks from right to left, confirming the fuel mixture was full rich. The engine did not restart. Due to reduced visibility to the right of the pilot, they transferred the controls to the co-pilot in the right seat. At 500’ AGL, in a shallow right-banked turn, on a heading of 150 degrees. It was determined that returning to the airfield was not possible. The pilot on the controls selected a field slightly left of the nose of the aircraft, with enough room to land and stop the aircraft. Only a few hundred feet AGL, seconds from landing, the pilot on the controls elected not to change the configuration of the aircraft, gear down with flaps up. The aircraft touched down with main gear, initially tracked straight, then veered to the right as the speed slowed. During the landing sequence, the nose gear was held off as long as possible and collapsed upon contact with the ground. The aircraft came to rest with the nose section contacting the ground, incurring damage to the engine cowling and underside of the nose section. The crew stated no major injuries, only minor bruises or abrasions. The crew stated that during the two-hour flight they had not incurred any abnormal engine or landing gear indications.
As the FAA filed it
THE FLIGHT WAS BEING CONDUCTED FOR INITIAL MALIBU TRAINING WITH PILOT & CFI AS CREW. AIRCRAFT DEPARTED KSAT AT 0850 FOR T82 AND CONDUCTED BASIC AIR WORK IN THE VICINITY. THE AIRCRAFT THEN SPENT TIME IN THE PATTERN AT T82 PRACTICING TAKEOFFS, LANDINGS, AND ENGINE OUT PROCEDURES. AFTER SEVERAL LAPS IN THE PATTERN, WITH FOUR FULL-STOP LANDINGS, THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED T82 FOR KEDC, UNDER VFR. UPON APPROACH TO KEDC, THE PILOT CONFIGURED THE AIRCRAFT FOR LANDING, LOWERING LANDING. THE PILOT HEARD A LOUD NOISE, WITH A PRONOUNCED RIGHT YAW, AND SIGNIFICANT AIRFRAME VIBRATION. THE RUDDER PEDALS WERE STATED TO BE MAKING STRONG MOVEMENTS, WITH LEFT RUDDER PUSHING TOWARDS THE PILOT. THE YAW CONDITION PREVENTED ALIGNMENT WITH THE DIRECTION OF FLIGHT. ADDITIONALLY, THE CREW RECEIVED GREEN INDICATION LIGHTS ON THE MAIN GEAR AND AN UNSAFE INDICATION FOR THE NOSE GEAR. THE CREW ELECTED TO FLY RUNWAY HEADING TO HAVE THE CONTROL TOWER CONFIRM THE CONDITION OF THE AIRCRAFTS LANDING GEAR. THE CONTROLLER INFORMED THE CREW THAT THEY SAW THREE GEARS DOWN AND CLEARED THEM FOR A RIGHT DOWNWIND. THE CREW DETERMINED THAT A RIGHT TURN WAS NOT FEASIBLE DUE TO THE CONTROL DIFFICULTY AND THEN DECIDED TO CLIMB AND CIRCLE THE FIELD TO TROUBLESHOOT THE PROBLEM. WHEN THE CREW APPLIED CLIMB POWER, THE ENGINE SUBSEQUENTLY STOPPED PRODUCING POWER. THE PILOT ANNOUNCED ENGINE FAILURE, AND THE CO-PILOT (CFI) IMMEDIATELY SWITCHED FUEL TANKS FROM RIGHT TO LEFT, CONFIRMING THE FUEL MIXTURE WAS FULL RICH. THE ENGINE DID NOT RESTART. DUE TO REDUCED VISIBILITY TO THE RIGHT OF THE PILOT, THEY TRANSFERRED THE CONTROLS TO THE CO-PILOT IN THE RIGHT SEAT. AT 500’ AGL, IN A SHALLOW RIGHT-BANKED TURN, ON A HEADING OF 150 DEGREES. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT RETURNING TO THE AIRFIELD WAS NOT POSSIBLE. THE PILOT ON THE CONTROLS SELECTED A FIELD SLIGHTLY LEFT OF THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT, WITH ENOUGH ROOM TO LAND AND STOP THE AIRCRAFT. ONLY A FEW HUNDRED FEET AGL, SECONDS FROM LANDING, THE PILOT ON THE CONTROLS ELECTED NOT TO CHANGE THE CONFIGURATION OF THE AIRCRAFT, GEAR DOWN WITH FLAPS UP. THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN WITH MAIN GEAR, INITIALLY TRACKED STRAIGHT, THEN VEERED TO THE RIGHT AS THE SPEED SLOWED. DURING THE LANDING SEQUENCE, THE NOSE GEAR WAS HELD OFF AS LONG AS POSSIBLE AND COLLAPSED UPON CONTACT WITH THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST WITH THE NOSE SECTION CONTACTING THE GROUND, INCURRING DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE COWLING AND UNDERSIDE OF THE NOSE SECTION. THE CREW STATED NO MAJOR INJURIES, ONLY MINOR BRUISES OR ABRASIONS. THE CREW STATED THAT DURING THE TWO-HOUR FLIGHT THEY HAD NOT INCURRED ANY ABNORMAL ENGINE OR LANDING GEAR INDICATIONS.