# NTSB FTW02LA165: Piper PA-46-350P, N529TX, Palestine, TX, May 18, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 18, 2002, 18:30 local (23:30 UTC) - Place: Palestine, TX - Coordinates: 31.779722, -95.70639 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.7797&lon=-95.7064&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 3 uninjured - Status: Completed, report September 30, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: The New Piper Aircraft, Inc., FAA FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 54806 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=FTW02LA165 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/54806/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54806 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW02LA165 ## Probable cause The failure of the nose gear actuator aft attach point from the tube cluster on the engine mount assembly. A contributing factor was the owner's non-compliance with the service bulletin for inspection/replacement of the engine mount. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Nose gear collapsed, landing - roll - landing gear,nose gear attach point - failure,total (cause) - maintenance,service bulletin/letter - not complied with, owner/pilot mechanic (contributing factor) - landing gear,nose gear attach point - overload ## Analysis During the landing roll when the nose wheel made contact with the runway, the pilot felt a "hard bump followed by a violent jerking motion to the left." The airplane departed the runway before coming to rest. Removal of the engine cowling and examination of the engine mount revealed that the right side of the nose gear actuator aft attach point had separated from the tube cluster on the mount assembly. The actuator was found pushed aft into the firewall, and a section of the firewall, located aft of the nose landing gear actuator, was crushed upward and aft into the forward baggage compartment. According to the manufacturer's representative engineer, the structural integrity at the base of the engine mount was compromised and would require major repair." Photographs and stereoscopic magnification of the separated surface of the nose gear actuator aft attach point showed signatures consistent with overload. Service Bulletin (SB) No. 1103 was issued by the manufacturer for inspection and/or replacement of the engine mount. The SB had not been performed on the accident airplane; however, the owner/pilot reported that it was scheduled to be performed at the next scheduled maintenance visit. ## Factual narrative On May 18, 2002, approximately 1830 central daylight time, a Piper, PA-46-350P single-engine airplane, N529TX, was substantially damaged following a collapse of the nose landing gear during the landing roll on runway 35 at the Palestine Municipal Airport, near Palestine, Texas. The airplane, registered to LAWTX Travel, Inc., of Houston, Texas, was operated by the owner/pilot under Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The instrument rated private pilot and his two passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cross-country flight and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan was filed and activated. The personal flight departed Houston, Texas, approximately 1730. The 1,428-hour pilot reported that when the nose wheel made contact with the runway, he felt a "hard bump followed by a violent jerking motion to the left." The airplane departed the runway, and came to rest parallel to the runway with the right wing tip adjacent to the left edge of the runway. The following day, the airplane was moved to a hangar at the airport. The FAA inspector and the manufacturer's representative examined and documented the damage sustained by the airplane. The bottom side of the engine cowling, the engine air inlet, and the nose landing gear doors exhibited scrapes. The propeller tips were curled with scratches on the outboard 8-10 inches. Removal of the engine cowling and examination of the engine mount revealed that the right side of the nose gear actuator aft attach point had separated from the tube cluster on the engine mount assembly. The actuator was found pushed aft into the firewall. A section of the firewall approximately 3 X 12 inches, located aft of the nose landing gear actuator, was crushed upward and aft into the forward baggage compartment. According to the manufacturer's representative engineer, the structural integrity at the base of the engine mount was compromised and would require major repair." Photographs and stereoscopic magnification of the separated surface of the nose gear actuator aft attach point showed signatures consistent with overload. On April 22, 2002, Service Bulletin (SB) No. 1103 was issued by the manufacturer for inspection and/or replacement of the engine mount due to previous findings of cracks on the engine mount in the area of the nose gear actuator attachment points. The SB had not been performed on the accident airplane; however, the owner/pilot reported that it was scheduled to be performed at the next scheduled maintenance visit. ## Aircraft - Registration: N529TX (not matched to a registry record) - Reported make and model: Piper PA-46-350P - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 4622045 - Engines: Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A 350 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Registered owner: LAWTX Travel, Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: Annual, June 15, 2001 - Departed: HOU, Houston, TX - Destination: PSN, Palestiine, TX - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: PSN, Palestine Municipal, runway 35, 5,005 × 100 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 50; injuries: none; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review August 5, 2001; seat: left; flight hours: 1,428 total, 1,206 in this make and model, 1,394 as pilot in command, 97 in the last 90 days, 26 in the last 30 days, 3 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 360° at 8 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 167 °F - Altimeter: 30.14 inHg ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20020518011179A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020518011179A), May 18, 2002: Piper PA46350P, Palestine, TX, No damage. (-23) On 05/18/2002 at approximately 18:30 CDT, aircraft Piper PA-46-350P, N529TX was landing at Palestine airport (psn), Palestine, TX. The nose of the… ## Docket (5 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 7, 2003, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54806. 13.1 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 808 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40439184&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Statements (item 2, .PDF, 270 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40439185&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Statements-Redacted.PDF - Portions of Report from Party to the Investigation. (Courtesy of Piper) (item 3, .PDF, 6 photos, 11.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40439186&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Portions%20of%20Report%20from%20Party%20to%20the%20Investigation.%20(Courtesy%20of%20Piper)-Redacted.PDF - Portions of Maintenance Records (item 4, .PDF, 333 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40439187&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Portions%20of%20Maintenance%20Records-Redacted.PDF - Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation (item 5, .PDF, 346 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40439188&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Statement%20of%20Party%20Representatives%20to%20NTSB%20Investigation-Redacted.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.