N117PR

On June 15, 2020, about 1308 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-46-600TP, N117PR, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Williston, Florida. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

According to the pilot’s written statement received about 1 month after the accident, he departed Abilene, Texas, about 0900 destined for Williston Municipal Airport (X60), Williston, Florida. The airplane approached runway 5 at X60, and the main landing gear touched down slightly left of the runway centerline; the airplane was tracking straight down the runway. However, when the nosewheel touched down, the airplane made an “immediate hard right turn.” He stated that he applied left rudder but that the nosewheel steering was unresponsive, and the airplane would not turn to the left. The airplane subsequently departed the right side of the runway onto a grassy area, where the nose landing gear collapsed before the airplane came to a stop. The pilot further reported that the nosewheel steering system contained a manufacturing defect and cited another PA-46-600TP accident that occurred on July 3, 2020 (NTSB Accident Number ERA20LA237).

The airport supervisor at X60 spoke to the pilot after the accident and stated that the pilot reported that the nosewheel was loose during landing, he overcorrected, and the airplane travelled off the side of the runway. The supervisor added that the wind was gusting to 16 knots but that he did not believe it was a factor in the accident.

An off-duty officer, who was also a pilot, from the Levy County Sheriff’s Office was at the airport at the time of the accident. The officer did not witness the approach but saw the airplane veer right during rollout and travel off the right side of the runway. He estimated the wind to be about 10 knots at the time. The officer went to the airplane to confirm that the two occupants were not injured and that no fire hazard existed. The pilot reported to the officer that a gust of wind “got him” and that he “gave it a little power at the end.” The officer notified the Williston Police Department.

Officers from the Williston Police Department responded to the scene and spoke with the pilot. According to the police report, the pilot stated “…a strong gust of wind hit his craft broadside, on the port side of the craft, which lifted so significantly that it lost its last wheel traction on the pavement, which caused the plane to veer off the runway…”

The pilot reported a total flight experience of 99 hours, of which 54 hours were in the same make and model as the accident airplane. He obtained his private pilot certificate in a Cessna 172 about 2 ½ months before the accident. According to the pilot’s electronic logbook, he received flight instruction in the accident airplane after receiving his private pilot certificate. The accident flight was the pilot’s first flight in the airplane without a flight instructor.

According to a representative of the dealership that sold the accident airplane, at the time of purchase, the pilot did not meet the flight experience requirements for the insurance company to provide coverage for the pilot to use the airplane and did not attend factory-authorized training; however, his flight instructor met the requirements and completed the factory-authorized training. The flight instructor then trained the pilot.

Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the nose landing gear had separated, and the propeller blades had fractured. Damage was observed to the nose landing gear mounting area and engine mount bracket. Flight control continuity was established for all flight controls, and steering control continuity was established from the rudder pedals to the steering arm. The steering horn remained intact and attached to the separated nose landing gear. The only anomaly noted during the examination was that the front tire psi was 73.5 psi rather than 88 psi.

Skid marks on the runway showed that the nosewheel skid mark initially traveled left, then right, then extreme right (about 30°). The left main wheel and nosewheel skid marks were most prominent on the runway, leading to the right side and into the grass. In addition, GPS data downloaded from the airplane’s Garmin G3000 integrated flight deck were consistent with the nose landing gear skid marks initially traveling left, then right, before exiting the runway.

The recorded wind at X60 at 1315 was from 360° at 11 knots.