Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot’s selection of an unsuitable landing site, which resulted in the nosewheel collapsing.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot of a twin-engine, turbine-powered airplane was landing at a remote, rough, soft, turf and grass covered airstrip at the completion of a Part 135 cargo flight. He said that after an uneventful touchdown, as the airplane’s landing roll slowed, the right main landing gear wheel and the nose wheel contacted an area of soft, muddy terrain. The airplane’s nose wheel collapsed, and it subsequently folded under the fuselage. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported no mechanical problems that would have precluded normal operations.