NTSB CHI90DEK03 — 1990-01-07 · COLUMBUS, Ohio, United States

N35ST has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (BEECH C35, built 1951), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

N35ST Piper PA-23-250 None

Probable cause & findings

PILOT'S INADEQUATE PREFLIGHT OF THE AIRPLANE AND THE CONTINUED OPERATION OF THE AIRPLANE WITH A NOSE GEAR STEERING PROBLEM.

Factual narrative

THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED AFTER THE AIRPLANE VEERED OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RUNWAY DURING A LANDING ROLL. A WITNESS WHO OBSERVED THE AIPRLANE FLYING ON FINAL APPROACH REPORTED THAT THE NOSE WHEEL WAS CANTED TO THE LEFT APPROXIMATELY 60 DEGS. THE PILOT REPORTED HAVING DIFFICULTY WITH DIRECTIONAL CONTROL DURING TAXI PRIOR TO TAKEOFF AND STATED THE TURNING LIMITS OF THE NOSE WHEEL HAD BEEN EXCEEDED DURING GROUND HANDLING OPERATIONS. POST ACCIDENTS INSPECTION REVEALED A BROKEN STEERING LINK IN THE NOSE GEAR ASSEMBLY AND A CRACKED GEAR STRUT HOUSING AT THE NOSE GEAR STEERING TRAVEL STOP. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1990_CHI90DEK03.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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