Piper PA-44-180

Full Narrative

On May 21, 2008 the National Transportation Safety Board was notified by the operator of a PA-44-180, that it had experienced a hard landing on March 21, 2008. Interviews with flight instructors, who had flown the airplane, revealed that the damage was discovered on April 30, 2008, when during taxi the "gear unsafe" light illuminated, and would not extinguish. After the unsafe indication was reported to the operator, maintenance personnel discovered that the nose landing gear support structure including both the left and right gear well webs, were substantially damaged. Interviews with company personnel revealed that the airplane had been involved in a runway excursion during a checkride on March 21, 2008. According to the check pilot of the accident flight, he was giving a flight examination for a multiengine rating when during a landing, the student pilot landed hard and the right main landing gear tire "burst." The student and check pilot were unable to maintain directional control and the airplane departed the right side of the runway and the nose landing gear "dug in to the soft ground." Interviews with company personnel and review of maintenance records also revealed that a mechanic was flown to the airport where the runway excursion occurred, and the right main landing gear tire was replaced as it "blew on landing." The right main landing gear was inspected after the runway excursion; however, no record of the nose gear being inspected was discovered.